One of the more popular health stories over the past two weeks that has made national headlines and attracted a lot of attention on my blog has been a controversial study that found taking high doses of vitamin E may increase one's mortality risk in any given year. If you've been reconsidering using vitamin E and you're a diabetic, give it some more thought.

Researchers have found some 40 percent of diabetic patients who have a specific form of a blood protein can reduce their risk of heart attacks and dying from heart disease by taking vitamin E supplements. An earlier study by the same research team identified diabetics with the 2-2 form of the blood protein haptoglobin had a 500 PERCENT greater risk of developing heart disease. When the diabetics in this specific group took 400 IU of vitamin E daily, their risk of heart attacks dropped 43 percent and their risk of death from heart disease fell by more than half.

Vitamin E is not a cure-all, however. Some 40 percent of diabetics have the 2-2 form of haptoglobin that can be treated with vitamin E while the rest have either the 1-1 or 2-1 form.

As I've said on this blog and elsewhere, vitamin E remains one of the few supplements I recommend. The optimum dose of vitamin E you should take varies widely from 100-800 units per day, again depending on your nutritional type.

EurekAlert November 19, 2004