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Review Supports Vitamin E Dosage for Age-Related
Macular Degeneration
Jan. 18, 2005 -
Following recent media stories concerning the danger of high dosages of
vitamin E, the National Eye Institute has reviewed the 2001 findings of
the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), a study of nearly 5,000
patients with varying stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) a
leading cause of vision loss in senior citizens. The study concludes
that NEI still recommends 400 international units (IU) for those at high
risk of AMD.
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What is
age-related macular degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
is a disease that blurs the sharp, central vision you need for
"straight-ahead" activities such as reading, sewing, and
driving. AMD affects the macula, the part of the eye that allows
you to see fine detail. (See diagram above.) AMD causes no pain.
In
some cases, AMD advances so slowly that people notice little
change in their vision. In others, the disease progresses faster
and may lead to a loss of vision in both eyes. AMD is a leading
cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older.
Click to more information by National Eye
Institute |
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Will Vitamin E Kill You, Or Save Your Life?
Research results send conflicting messages with
latest saying it increases risk of dying
Nov. 10, 2004 A research report will be presented
today that says daily doses of Vitamin E in excess of 400 IU
(international units) is associated with a higher overall risk of dying.
This is not the first study reporting on dangers of Vitamin E, but there
are many recent studies saying it helps senior citizens in the fight
against Alzheimers, heart disease and even vision problems.
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11/10/04*
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Both the AREDS results
regarding the risks and benefits of taking vitamin E and the results of
multiple other published studies of vitamin E were reviewed.
A paper to be published
in the January 2005 edition of the
Annals of Internal Medicine
will report that taking high-dose vitamin E supplements does not lower
the risk of death, and there might be a small increase in the risk of
death. The material in this paper was recently presented at a meeting
of the American College of Physicians in New Orleans and this
presentation has received much attention from the media.
The authors of the paper
analyzed combined data from 19 clinical trials that had tested vitamin E
as a possible treatment for different diseases. One of the trials
included in the analysis was the AREDS. In the AREDS, scientists found
that people at high risk of developing advanced stages of AMD could
lower their risk of the disease by about 25 percent when treated with a
high-dose combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc.
After careful study and
interpretation of the data from the paper in
Annals of Internal Medicine,
the NEI researchers have concluded that taking a recommended 400
international units (IU) of vitamin E each day, as part of the AREDS
formulation, does not increase the risk of death of persons at risk for
advanced AMD.
"If the reason for
taking vitamin E is to decrease mortality, we agree with the authors of
this new study that there does not seem to be any benefit of vitamin E
for most patients and there might be some harm at very high doses of 500
IU or more," Emily Chew, M.D., deputy director of the Division of
Epidemiology and Clinical Research at NEI.
"However if you are at
high risk for developing AMD, there is a benefit in taking the AREDS
formulation that includes vitamin E. Different patients have different
needs and it is important to discuss with your doctor whether this
formulation is right for you," says Dr. Chew.
In the new study, the
data seem to show that people taking particularly high doses of vitamin
E (500 IU to 2000 IU) may have a slightly increased risk of death.
However, taking 400 IU vitamin E per day did not increase the risk of
death in a total of 15,000 patients studied in several different
clinical trials.
For additional
information on the AREDS, visit
www.nei.nih.gov/amd.
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