HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Horwitt, M. K Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Horwitt, M. K Agricola Articles by Horwitt, M. K

Critique of the requirement for vitamin E^1,2,3

¹ From the Division of Geriatric Medicine, St Louis University School of Medicine.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recently published a comprehensive evaluation of antioxidants in human diets that includes dietary reference intakes for vitamin E. The new dietary reference intake is 15 mg (35 mol)/d for adults, which is 50% greater than the gener-ous allowance in the 10th edition of Recommended Dietary Allowances published in 1989. Much of the data interpreted in these publications came from studies sponsored by the Commit-tee of Nutritional Studies at Elgin State Hospital (Elgin, IL) of an earlier Food and Nutrition Board. The 50% increase in the recommended dietary allowances for vitamin E is not supported by any new data. It is possible that the publication of the Insti-tute of Medicine did not take into consideration the effects of the oxidized lipids in the diets used to promote the development of vitamin E deficiency. If lipids, oxidized to remove toco-pherols, had not been a part of the experimental diets, the min-imum requirement for vitamin E would have been too small for possible evaluation. Studies on the different effects of saturated and oxidized lipids in the production of encephalomalacia in chicks and muscular dystrophy in rats are reviewed. The tolera-ble upper intake level of vitamin E supplementation is reported to be 1000 mg/d. It is possible that the universal consumption of aspirin may not have been taken into consideration when this level was determined. Vitamin E plus aspirin may increase the tendency to hemorrhage, which makes a lower upper intake level worth consideration.

Key Words: Vitamin E requirement • Food and Nutrition Board • Elgin Project • oxidized lipids • Institute of Medicine • antioxidants • platelet adhesion • aspirin

This article has been cited by other articles:

				X. Gao, P. E. Wilde, A. H. Lichtenstein, O. I. Bermudez, and K. L. Tucker The Maximal Amount of Dietary {alpha}-Tocopherol Intake in U.S. Adults (NHANES 2001-2002) J. Nutr., April 1, 2006; 136(4): 1021 - 1026. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. I. Block Antioxidants and Cancer Therapy: Furthering the Debate Integr Cancer Ther, December 1, 2004; 3(4): 342 - 348. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. A. Mares, T. L. La Rowe, and B. A. Blodi Doctor, What Vitamins Should I Take for My Eyes? Arch Ophthalmol, April 1, 2004; 122(4): 628 - 635. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Collakova and D. DellaPenna Homogentisate Phytyltransferase Activity Is Limiting for Tocopherol Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis Plant Physiology, February 1, 2003; 131(2): 632 - 642. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. G Bieri Comments on the new dietary reference intake for vitamin E Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2002; 75(4): 781 - 781. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. G Traber Vitamin E: too much or not enough? Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2001; 73(6): 997 - 998. [Full Text] [PDF]