Vitamin E in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer

¶ … healthy people who self-select for high intakes of vitamin E through diet or supplements have decreased risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. However this article also indicates that randomized trials do not support benefits of vitamin E, but there are few trials of long duration among initially healthy persons. From there, the article's objective is to prove that vitamin E supplementation decreases risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer among healthy women (Vitamin E in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer).

Along with that, the article suggest in the Women's Health Study conducted between 1992 and 2004, 39-876 healthy U.S. women aged at least 45 years were randomly assigned to receive vitamin E or placebo, using a 2 x 2 factorial design, and were followed up for an average of 10.1 years. Primary outcomes were a composite end point of first major cardiovascular event (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death) and total invasive cancer (Vitamin E in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer).

The article shows that during follow-up, there were 482 major cardiovascular events in the vitamin E group and 517 in the placebo group, which indicates there was a non-significant 7% risk reduction. From there, there were no significant effects on the incidences of myocardial infarction or stroke as well as ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Therefore, for cardiovascular death, there was a significant 24% reduction, however there was no significant effect on the incidences of total cancer, breast, or colon cancers (Vitamin E in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer).

From there, the article, Vitamin E in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer, shows that cancer deaths also did not differ significantly between groups, which does not show any significant effect of vitamin E on total mortality. With the article can conclude from the data that this large trial indicated that 600 IU of natural-source vitamin E taken every other day provided no overall benefit for major cardiovascular events or cancer. It also did not affect total mortality, and decreased cardiovascular mortality in healthy women. With this information, the article can suggest these data do not support recommending vitamin E supplementation for cardiovascular disease or cancer prevention among healthy women, which makes the objective totally false.

Critique

By reviewing the article, Vitamin E in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer, it is apparent that the data seemed to be very accurate from groups that they tested their theory of vitamin E on. However, it seems that further research should be conducted because there was poor evidence to determine whether supplementation with these vitamins reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease or cancer. Evidence from randomized trials is either inadequate or conflicting, and the influence of confounding variables on observed outcomes in observational studies cannot be determined. As a result, it is not stable to say that the balance of benefits and harms of routine use of supplements of vitamins a, C or E; multivitamins with folic acid; or antioxidant combinations for the prevention of cancer or cardiovascular disease (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

From other evidence, it does not seem that the experiments of this article were not conducted long enough to prove its thesis because supplements do not help with cancer. If they were trying to prove supplements did not help, their testing would be valid. As it can be seen from other evidence, the objective can be proven false because other research prove tat their thesis cannot be accurate.

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC) concludes that there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against the use of routine vitamin E supplementation for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in the general population and in male smokers (Grade I recommendation) ("MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study," 2002 [I, good]; de Gaetano, 2001 [I, fair]; Virtamo et al., 1998 [I, fair]) (the role of vitamin E supplements in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer).

The most important outcome of the report will be greater recognition that it is time to concentrate on teaching nutrition, promoting regular physical activity, and strongly encouraging smoking cessation and particularly increasing outreach to women of racial and ethnic minorities. From there, although vitamin E is not a successful primary prevention strategy for women, one should not make the mistake of concluding that it will not turn out to be beneficial for men. There is the importance of recognizing biological differences between the sexes in cardiovascular research by providing valuable sex-specific data on primary prevention (Vitamin E May Not Prevent Heart Disease or Cancer in Healthy Women)