Taking vitamin E supplements may cause the thinning of bones
Taking vitamin E supplements may cause the thinning of bones, according to Japenese research.
The powerful antioxidant is consumed by millions of people in the UK and has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease.
The early findings from an animal study found that those fed on a diet supplemented with the vitamin had bones 20 per cent weaker than those that ate normally.
Researcher Dr Shu Takeda, of Keio University in Tokyo, called for a larger study on the vitamin’s effect on human bones.
The vitamin, which occurs naturally in cereals, nuts, olive oil and egg yolks, is credited with helping hold back the hands of time by ‘fighting ageing from within’.
Benefits are said to include cutting the risk of heart disease, cancers and cataracts, as well as helping keep the mind sharp into old age and the skin supple.
“There is nothing to worry about if you are getting plenty of vitamin E from your diet but those taking high doses of the nutrient in supplements need to be wary,” said Professor Helen MacDonald, an advisor to the National Osteoporosis Society.
“You have to remember this research was carried out on animals and findings in humans can be very different. But more research is needed,” Dr Takeda added.
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