VITAMIN E FROM FOOD OR FROM NATURAL FOOD SUPPLEMENTS PREVENTS CANCER

On internet I read an article with the title ''Foods Highest In Vitamin E Prevent Cancer, Not Supplements''. The link of this article is http://preventdisease.com/news/13/031513_Foods-Highest-In-Vitamin-E-Prevent-Cancer-Not-Supplements.shtml

My answer to this article.

I think that the author of the article didn't understand this study and the title of the article is misleading. This study does not prove that vitamin E from foods is superior than vitamin E from food supplements. In this study people used synthetic vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) and not natural vitamin E supplements that contain all the tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). High amounts of alpha tocopherol without the other tocopherols are not so effective and deplete gamma tocopherol, the most anticancer form of vitamin E. I have written a book about the anticancer effect of vitamin supplements. Personally, I use to take high amounts of gamma E tocopherol along with mixed tocopherols from food supplements, that is one of the better ways to protect myself from cancer and other degenerative diseases. On the other hand, the higher amounts of vitamin E foods are seed oils (like sunflower oil) that contain high amounts of polyunsaturated Omega 6 fatty acids that are lead to many major chronic degenerative diseases. The war against vitamin E supplements that we see the last years in media is a propaganda and bad science. The title of this article should be: "Vitamin E from foods or natural food supplements of mixed tocopherols prevent cancer, not synthetic vitamin E or alpha tocopherol alone."

But even alpha-tocopherol is safe and effective, if you take enough gamma-tocopherol at the same time.
On November 10, 2006 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was published the largest study in the history of medicine used blood levels of alpha-tocopherol as an indicator of the overall status of vitamin E in the body male smokers. The purpose of this study was to correlate levels of vitamins with specific causes of death and overall mortality for a period of 19 years. 29,000 people initially participated in this study and 13,000 deaths were available for analysis. The results of the analysis showed a significant reduction in overall mortality in individuals with higher levels of alpha-tocopherol showed a significant reduction in deaths in the period of 19 year old study. The reduction of mortality of prostate cancer was 32% of lung cancer was 21%, for ischemic stroke was 37%, for bleeding episode was 35% and for respiratory diseases was 42%.
Let's see what scientists said the study of the biological mechanisms by which alpha-tocopherol reduced mortality in a wide range of diseases: "As a primary fat-soluble antioxidant that protects lipids from peroxidation, alpha-tocopherol is capable of collecting mutagenic free radicals and prevents the oxidation of LDL, and these capabilities have a significant impact on the prevention of carcinogenesis, and atherosclerosis. Alpha-tocopherol also has important functions that are independent of its antioxidant action, such as changing gene expression, enhancement of the immune response and suppression of tumor-induced angiogenesis. "
The scientists also said that the results of this study were so positive because unlike previous studies, the subjects in the study with the highest levels of alpha-tocopherol in the blood were also more gamma-tocopherol in their blood. The scientists explained that when a-tocopherol is taken alone, it empties the body of gamma-tocopherol and antagonizes the action of vitamin E. "Our findings - scientists say - support a stronger role of circulating a -tocopherol in overall mortality, mortality from cancer and cardiovascular than was suggested by previous studies.'' (Wright M.E., Lawson K.A., Weinstein S.J., et al., Higher baseline serum concentrations of vitamin E are associated with lower total cause-specific mortality in the alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene cancer prevention stydy, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 84, 5, 1200-7, Nov. 2006).

This is a short answer in this article. Very soon I will write many articles about the health benefits of natural Vitamin E supplements and the propaganda of media (in fact of pharmaceutical industry and of medical establishment) against the vitamin E. 

Marios Dimopoulos

Clinical Nutritionist

Fellow of the American Council of Applied Clinical Nutrition

Author of books about health and nutrition