Too much vitamin E may increase chances of lung cancer

Written by Tena Moore


Vitamin E is a great antioxidant. You can find its great benefits lurking in nuts like almonds and hazelnuts, vegetable oils such as sunflower and wheat germ oil, broccoli, spinach and other green leafy veggies, as well as fortified cereals. Can you get too much vitamin E? It’s unlikely if you are getting it from food sources, but a new study suggests that taking too much vitamin E, via supplements, may be linked to lung cancer.

The study was lead by Dr Christopher Slatore of the University of Washington in Seattle and included people 77,000 aged 50 through 76. In each instance, they were taking 400 milligrams of Vitamin E supplements per day over a long period of time. During the study over 520 people developed lung cancer.

The study concluded that too much vitamin E can increase chances in lung cancer by 28%. For every additional 100 milligrams of vitamin E over 400, the risk is thought to increase by 7%.

The study did include smokers and non-smokers, but the researchers believe smoking only increases your chances, as do age and family history. The study suggests that when vitamin E is taken in large quantities it is no longer an antioxidant, but can cause oxidation and damage cells.

Eating a well balanced diet is thought to be the best choice for getting a healthy amount of vitamin E.



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