title: Supplementation with vitamin E alone is associated with reduced myocardial infarction: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Previous meta-analyses of interventional trials with vitamin E provided negative results but it remains unclear if this vitamin has some influence on cardiovascular events when supplemented alone. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of vitamin E alone or in combination with other antioxidants on myocardial infarction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pubmed, ISI Web of Science, SCOPUS and Cochrane database were searched without language restrictions. We investigated randomized clinical trials studying the effect of vitamin E supplementation on myocardial infarction. Sixteen randomized controlled trials of vitamin E treatment were analyzed in this meta-analysis. The dose range for vitamin E was 33-800IU. Follow-up ranged from 0.5 to 9.4 years. Compared to controls, vitamin E given alone significantly decreased myocardial infarction (3.0% vs 3.4%) (random effects R.R.: 0.82; 95% C.I., 0.70-0.96; p = 0.01). This effect was driven by reduction of fatal myocardial infarction (random effects R.R.: 0.84; 95% C.I., 0.73-0.96; p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When supplemented alone, vitamin E reduces myocardial infarction in interventional trials while it appears ineffective when associated with other antioxidants.
authors.affiliation: I Clinica Medica, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: lorenzo.loffredo@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Loffredo
authors.affiliation: I Clinica Medica, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Castelnuovo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iacoviello
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Gaetano
authors.affiliation: I Clinica Medica, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Violi
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014810:Vitamin E
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular events; Myocardial infarction; Vitamin E