Coronary Heart Disease
2014
Coronary Heart Disease and Vitamin E
This article investigates the question of the usefulness of Vitamin E in the treatment and / or the prevention of heart disease. Beginning with the basics, heart disease is one of the most common causes of chronic illness and death in the adult population in the United States. The primary cause of heart disease is coronary artery atherosclerosis, which is the build- up of plaque in the artery walls. This plaque is the result of the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Over time, this plaque can significantly slow or even prevent the flow of blood to the heart. It is believed that the development of atherosclerosis is a result of an abundance of free radicals in our bodies. These free radicals are …show more content…
Most of these studies were randomized, double blind controlled studies. The cited studies include ATBC study and the CHAOS study. Unfortunately, there were issues of inconsistency, lack of controls, lack of follow through and lack of compliance within these experiments. The author is lead to conclude that a daily dose of 500 IU vitamin E will not hurt an individual and MAY actually help in certain circumstances. I would actually interpret this conclusion as inconclusive. I would agree with the author as to the known benefits of vitamin E. It is one of the least toxic vitamins and is tolerated well in high doses. It is an important antioxidant and plays a fundamental role in the protection of the body. Unfortunately, nothing has been proven definitively as to the extent of its role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis. In fact, many of these studies contradict the others. I would also question the type of vitamin E being introduced into the diet. Are subjects being given a supplement? If so, what about vitamin E naturally occurring in the diet? Obtaining vitamin E through the consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables may influence the results of a test. After all, a diet rich in antioxidant foods has been linked to a reduced risk of …show more content…
Therefore, I chose to reference a fact sheet from the National Institutes of Health that has been updated June 5, 2013. This article sites even more trials and investigations. However, they too, are inconclusive. All of the sited trials did not provide evidence that Vitamin E aided in the prevention or treatment of CHD. It was suggested that a younger test group that does not currently display any signs of cardiac problems, be introduced into a longer study over an extended period of time. This was stated because the majority of test subjects were of a middle or upper age range and many had pre-existing conditions. Therefore, this may more definitively determine the effectiveness of Vitamin E in the prevention of CVD in healthy
Coronary Heart Disease and Vitamin E
This article investigates the question of the usefulness of Vitamin E in the treatment and / or the prevention of heart disease. Beginning with the basics, heart disease is one of the most common causes of chronic illness and death in the adult population in the United States. The primary cause of heart disease is coronary artery atherosclerosis, which is the build- up of plaque in the artery walls. This plaque is the result of the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Over time, this plaque can significantly slow or even prevent the flow of blood to the heart. It is believed that the development of atherosclerosis is a result of an abundance of free radicals in our bodies. These free radicals are …show more content…
Most of these studies were randomized, double blind controlled studies. The cited studies include ATBC study and the CHAOS study. Unfortunately, there were issues of inconsistency, lack of controls, lack of follow through and lack of compliance within these experiments. The author is lead to conclude that a daily dose of 500 IU vitamin E will not hurt an individual and MAY actually help in certain circumstances. I would actually interpret this conclusion as inconclusive. I would agree with the author as to the known benefits of vitamin E. It is one of the least toxic vitamins and is tolerated well in high doses. It is an important antioxidant and plays a fundamental role in the protection of the body. Unfortunately, nothing has been proven definitively as to the extent of its role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis. In fact, many of these studies contradict the others. I would also question the type of vitamin E being introduced into the diet. Are subjects being given a supplement? If so, what about vitamin E naturally occurring in the diet? Obtaining vitamin E through the consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables may influence the results of a test. After all, a diet rich in antioxidant foods has been linked to a reduced risk of …show more content…
Therefore, I chose to reference a fact sheet from the National Institutes of Health that has been updated June 5, 2013. This article sites even more trials and investigations. However, they too, are inconclusive. All of the sited trials did not provide evidence that Vitamin E aided in the prevention or treatment of CHD. It was suggested that a younger test group that does not currently display any signs of cardiac problems, be introduced into a longer study over an extended period of time. This was stated because the majority of test subjects were of a middle or upper age range and many had pre-existing conditions. Therefore, this may more definitively determine the effectiveness of Vitamin E in the prevention of CVD in healthy