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Revisiting Vitamin E: New
Review Finds Nutrient Is Safe,
Essential, And Too Low In Most
People
What is vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a powerful natural antioxidant
that helps preserve lipids in the body, such as
the omega-3 DHA—the most prevalent fatty
acid in the brain. Most Americans do not get
enough vitamin E from foods.
Newborns
In the developing embryo, vitamin E pro-
tects the function of omega-3 fatty acids, par-
ticularly DHA, which is essential for the child
to develop a healthy, fully formed brain and
skull. In one study, children born with higher
levels of vitamin E had better cognitive func-
tion compared to kids with lower levels.
Discussing the findings, Dr. Maret G. Traber
said, “It is important all your life, but the
most compelling evidence about vitamin E is
about a 1,000-day window that begins at
conception, where vitamin E is critical to
neurologic and brain development that can
only happen during that period. It is not
something you can make up for later.”
Adults
Measuring the lifelong dietary pattern,
older adults who got more vitamin E and
who maintained a more consistent supply of
vitamins had larger brain size and better cog-
nitive function compared to those who got
less vitamin E and other vitamins over a life-
time. While vitamin E supplements do not
appear to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, stud-
ies show vitamin E does slow its progression.
Low levels
Low levels of vitamin E in expectant moth-
ers are linked to infection and anemia, and
to stunted growth in their babies. Babies who
are deficient can have neurological disorders,
deterioration of skeletal muscle, and weaken-
ing of the heart muscle.
Healthy prostate
A new study of 12,641 men who took 400
IU of vitamin E every other day or a placebo,
found, over a 10-year follow-up, no link
between prostate cancer and vitamin E, con-
tradicting the findings from the earlier
SELECT study.
Reference: Advances in Nutrition; September,
2014, Vol. 5, 503-14
Vitamin E reduced pain in
diabetic neuropathy
Quality of life improved
In diabetes, long-term elevated blood sugar
levels can damage nerves and small blood
vessels. The condition, called neuropathy,
may cause pain and a loss of feeling, usually
starting in the toes and feet, and can lead to
complications. Prior studies found antioxi-
dants like vitamin E could help control neu-
ropathy.
In this study, 92 people with diabetic neu-
ropathy continued to take standard pain and
blood sugar medications, with or without
400 IU of vitamin E per day. After 12 weeks,
random blood sugar levels had declined
nearly three times more for those taking vita-
min E than for placebo. For neuropathic
pain, while there was no effect in those
younger than 50, those over age 50 in the
vitamin E group had twice the pain relief as
placebo.
Discussing their findings, doctors said that
while there is no cure for neuropathy, vita-
min E may help ease pain and improve qual-
ity of life.
Reference: Pharmacological Reports; 2014,
Vol. 66, No. 1, 44-8
Negative Claims About
Magnesium Stearate are
Unscientific and Fraudulent
Marketing
Statement for Response to Negative Claims
Regarding Magnesium Stearate
by Dallas Clouatre, Ph.D.
Without any evidence and often with gross
misinterpretations of science, recently some
individuals and companies have implied that
magnesium stearate is unsafe. Here are the
simple facts regarding magnesium stearate:
1. Safety of magnesium stearate in
animal trials
Magnesium stearate has Generally
Regarded As Safe (GRAS) status in the US
and throughout most of the world. In actual
animal tests, magnesium stearate has been
shown to be safe at a daily intake of 2,500
mg/kg bodyweight. The no observed adverse
effect level (NOAEL) is estimated to be 5%
magnesium stearate in the diet. (Toxicology.
1980;17(1):51-5.) As in most such studies,
there is a further margin of safety above this
level of intake. The material is so safe that it
is a common ingredient infant formulas.
There are a couple of ways of viewing this
animal data. One interpretation is that a 150
pound human can safely consume 175 grams
magnesium stearate per day. A reading
based on how animal data usually is applied
to humans is that a 150 pound human can
safely consume on the order of 30 grams
magnesium stearate per day. Obviously, there
is no safety concern from the 10 to 50 mg
that is found in some supplements. In most
cases, a person would need to at least con-
sume 1,000 times the amount of magnesium
stearate found in a supplement even to reach
the most cautious known safety level.
2. Do magnesium stearate and
stearic acid collapse cell
membranes?
This in vitro / cell culture study has no
bearing at all on the use of magnesium
stearate in supplements and foods. In fact,
any supplement applied in sufficient quantity
in a cell culture study will be toxic. This is
true of fish oils and many other nutrients. As
Ray Sahelian, M.D., writes on his website in
response to this attack on magnesium
stearate, People or companies who use this
type of in vitro study to make such a leap
either do not understand medicine or sci-
ence, or are purposely misleading consumers
for marketing reasons.
3. Impact on bioavailability of
supplement nutrients
As pointed out in the Wikipedia entry,
studies have shown that magnesium stearate
may affect the release time of active ingredi-
ents in tablets, etc., but not that it reduces
the overall bioavailability of those
ingredients. (Pharmaceutical Development
and Technology, Volume 3, Issue 4
November 1998, 535 547) (Bosnian Journal
Of Basic Medical Sciences, 2007, 7(3): 279-
283) Even the effect on release time
depends on magnesium stearate being a
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major component in the formula and not
merely a flowing agent.
4. Safety of stearic acid and its
health benefits
Some supplements may contain 20 mg
stearic acid from magnesium stearate.
Compare this to the 5 grams (5,000) stearic
acid found in a typical chocolate bar.
Controlled human clinical trials have shown
that stearic acid may provide significant car-
diovascular benefits. One study found that a
diet rich in stearic acid improves thrombo-
genic and atherogenic risk factor profiles in
healthy males. (Eur J Clin Nutr. 2001
Feb;55(2):88-96.) A separate review of three
clinical trials found that stearic acid is less
thrombogenic than several alternative fatty
acids. (Lipids. 2005 Dec;40(12):1229-35.)
Yet another study in humans found that
stearic acid is just as safe as the unsaturated
ingredients oleic and linoleic acid. (J Nutr.
2005 Dec;135(12):2805-11.)
This article appears in the “Science News &
Articles” section of the Jarrow Formulas web-
site, www.jarrow.com/
Dallas Clouatre, Ph.D. earned his A.B. from
Stanford and his Ph.D. from the University of
California at Berkeley. A Fellow of the
American College of Nutrition, he is a promi-
nent industry consultant and a published
author as well as a principle in Glykon
Technologies Group, LLC, an intellectual
property holding company. He is an
Associate Editor of TotalHelath magazine and
a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of
Nutritional Outlook magazine and Recent
Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery.
He is the author of numerous books. Recent
publications include “Grape Seed Extract” in
the Encyclopedia Of Dietary Supplements
(2nd edition, 2010), “Tocotrienols in Vitamin
E: Hype or Science?” and “Vitamin E –
Natural vs. Synthetic” in Tocotrienols:
Vitamin E Beyond Tocopherols (2009), “Kava
Kava: Examining New Reports of Toxicity” in
Toxicology Letters (2004) and Anti-Fat
Nutrients (4th edition 2004). Dr. Clouatre’s
primary research interests are the compo-
nents of the metabolic syndrome / Syndrome
X.
The preceeding medical and scientific materi-
al is for consumer informational and educa-
tional purposes only-- under section 5 of
DSHEA.
Disclaimer: nothing in this article, or this
website, is intended as, or should be con-
strued as, medical advice. consumers should
consult with their own health care practition-
ers for individual, medical recommendations.
the information in this website concerns
dietary supplements, over-the-counter prod-
ucts that are not drugs. our dietary supple-
ment products are not intended for use as a
means to cure, treat, prevent, diagnose, or
mitigate any disease or other medical or
abnormal condition.