title: Vitamin E and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis.
abstract: The current analysis reexamines the relationship between supplemental vitamin E and all-cause mortality. All randomized, controlled trials testing the treatment effect of vitamin E supplementation in adults for at least one year were sought. MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and Biological Abstracts databases were searched using the terms "vitamin E," "alpha-tocopherol," "antioxidants," "clinical trial," and "controlled trial" for studies published through April 2010; results were limited to English, German, or Spanish language articles. Studies were also obtained through reference mining. All randomized controlled trials using vitamin E, with a supplementation period of at least one year, to prevent or treat disease in adults were identified and abstracted independently by two raters. Mortality data from trials with a supplementation period of at least one year were pooled. The selected trials (n = 57) were published between 1988 and 2009. Sample sizes range from 28 to 39,876 (median = 423), yielding 246,371 subjects and 29,295 all-cause deaths. Duration of supplementation for the 57 trials range from one to 10.1 years (median = 2.6 years). A random effects meta-analysis produce an overall risk ratio of 1.00 (95% confidence interval: 0.98, 1.02); additional analyses suggest no relationship between dose and risk of mortality. Based on the present meta-analysis, supplementation with vitamin E appears to have no effect on all-cause mortality at doses up to 5,500 IU/d.
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, KY 40536, USA. elabne0@email.uky.edu
authors.forename: Erin L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Abner
authors.forename: Frederick A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: Marta S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mendiondo
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Marcum
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kryscio
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002423:Cause of Death; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014810:Vitamin E