Vitamin E for a Longer Life?

Taking vitamin E supplements[1] may lengthen lifespan for certain groups of men, a recent study[2] from the journal Age and Ageing shows.

For the study, researchers looked at data on 10,837 adults who were followed for eight years. While vitamin E had no effect on mortality when participants were 65- to 70-years-old, the antioxidant[3] appeared to reduce mortality when participants were 71 or older.

According to the study’s authors, vitamin E may increase life expectancy by protecting against oxidative stress (an aging[4]-related process that occurs when free radicals[5] overwhelm cells and damage their DNA). However, past research on vitamin E supplements and mortality has yielded mixed results. In a 2005 research review from the Annals of Internal Medicine, for instance, scientists sized up 19 clinical trials and found that the supplements failed to reduce risk of heart disease[6] or cancer.

To boost your vitamin E intake without turning to supplements, go for vitamin-E-rich foods[7] like almonds, mango, and broccoli.

References^ vitamin E supplements (altmedicine.about.com)^ study (ageing.oxfordjournals.org)^ antioxidant (altmedicine.about.com)^ aging (altmedicine.about.com)^ free radicals (altmedicine.about.com)^ heart disease (altmedicine.about.com)^ vitamin-E-rich foods (altmedicine.about.com)

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