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VITAMIN E
Increasingly, doctors recommend vitamin E to heart patients and people at increased risk of heart disease -- and take it themselves. The endorsement is based on studies showing that people who get lots of the vitamin halve their risk of developing heart disease; people who already suffer from heart disease cut their heart attack risk by the same amount.
Additional benefits fall into the promising-but-preliminary category. A 1997 study suggested that high doses could slow the deterioration of patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Another study raised the possibility that the vitamin might help boost the immune system in older people. On the other hand, hopes that E helps prevent cancer have so far gone unfulfilled, with only a few studies showing a benefit and others finding no advantage.
Can you get enough E through food? Not if you want to keep your diet trim: The best sources of the vitamin are oils and oil-rich nuts and seeds.
Pills come in natural and synthetic versions. (On the label, the prefix "d" identifies natural, "dl" synthetic.) Natural vitamin E is more potent and absorbed more efficiently; it's also twice as expensive. Whichever you choose, don't go overboard. Vitamin E is quite safe, but it inhibits blood clotting, so more than 1,000 IU daily may cause problems. If you regularly take aspirin, warfarin, or another blood-thinning medication, be sure to ask your doctor what dose of vitamin E is safe for you.
The bottom line:
Most multivitamins contain only about 30 IU, so you'll need to purchase a vitamin E supplement. To reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers generally suggest 100 to 400 IU daily. For people who have heart disease or are at high risk, the recommendation climbs to between 400 and 800 IU. The same amount is advised for those who hope to keep Alzheimer's at bay.
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