However, one study showed that vitamin E supplementation could potentially pose a risk.
Researchers led by Dr Markus Schürks of Bringham and Women's Hospital (Boston, USA) found an association between vitamin E supplements and risk of stroke.
Stroke can be categorized into two types: ischemic stroke (impaired blood flow to the brain due to a blockage) and hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain).
According to the results reported by Schürks, the use of vitamin E seem to increase the risk of brain hemorrhage.
The study involved more than 100,000 participants, of which half (59 357 patients) received vitamin E supplements, and the other half (59 408 patients) received placebo.
Initial results show vitamin E supplementation does not seem to affect the incidence of total stroke.
Around 1438 stroke documented in the vitamin E group and 1475 in the placebo group. Both of these statistics indicate a significant difference.
However, when viewed from the type of stroke, the researchers noted a significant increase in the risk of concomitant use of vitamin E.
A total of 884 people who took vitamin E (from 45 670) had an ischemic stroke compared with 983 volunteers (from 45 733) who received placebo.
These data suggest that vitamin E supplements may be associated with a 10% reduction in ischemic stroke. For every 476 subjects who took vitamin E, an ischemic stroke can be prevented.
However, the researchers found that patients taking vitamin E, 22% more likely to suffer hemorrhagic stroke.
In total, 223 hemorrhagic strokes (from 50,334 study participants who received the supplement) were recorded in patients receiving vitamin E compared with 183 hemorrhagic strokes in the placebo group (from 50,414 subjects).
This means that for every 1,250 people taking vitamin E, a person will experience a hemorrhagic stroke.
Although results have not been definitive in, the possibility of vitamin E can increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke is quite disturbing.
Hemorrhagic stroke is more difficult to treat, which means that the risk will be higher than the fatal ischemic stroke.
