Be Careful, Vitamin E Can Make Osteoporosis

Vitamin E is contained naturally in many foods such as vegetable oils, nuts and leafy vegetables. This vitamin is believed to be efficacious as an antioxidant, maintaining health and slowing the aging process. Unfortunately, a study found that vitamin E can lead to bone loss. 

Researchers led by Shu Takeda from Keio University in Tokyo, said the findings are a warning for people who take supplements of vitamin E. Takeda confirms that vitamin E can stimulate cells that cause bone loss or osteoporosis. 

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time so that the person is prone to fractures. The disease is common in older people, especially women. 

The researchers explained that maintaining a balance between bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) and bone destructive cells (osteoclasts) would make the bones stronger. Previous research suggests that vitamin E is beneficial for bone health. However, researchers from Japan discovered the contrary, vitamin E actually trigger the production of bone destructive cells. 

"A healthy bones consist of a dynamic network. To maintain this condition, the necessary balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Understanding the competition of these cells is very important to understand how vitamin E affects bone health," said Dr. Robert Graham, an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. 

Research published in the journal Nature Medicine found that vitamin E-deficient mice have higher bone mass because it has less bone damage. Meanwhile, healthy rats that were fed vitamin E with the same levels as found in human supplementation decreased bone mass by 20% within eight weeks. 

Takeda Research also shows that vitamin D can increase bone formation, but vitamin E is the opposite. However, further research is needed to better understand how vitamin E works in humans. 

"Before we started telling people to dispose of its vitamin E supplements, let me state that the results obtained from studies in rats and further research is needed to view the risks and benefits in humans," said Graham.

(lmh/ed.bj)