Vitamin E may help you live longer

Researchers from Finland say taking vitamin E supplements may extend human life-span.

Vitamin E as an antioxidant can protect body tissue from damage caused by unstable substances called free radicals.

Dr. Harri Hemila and Professor Jaakko Kaprio of the University of Helsinki conducted a large randomized trial of 10,837 participants aged over 65 between 1985 and 1993, to study the age-dependency of vitamin E effect on mortality.

The results showed vitamin E reduced mortality by 24 percent in the participants aged 71 or older, but did not affect the participants age 65 to 70.

Among 2,284 men, who consumed dietary vitamin C and smoked less than a pack of cigarettes a day, vitamin E helped extend their life expectancy by two years.

However, the American Heart Association stated in 2004 that taking 400 IU or higher amounts of vitamin E per day can increase risk of death.

"If vitamin E influences the life-span, it is possible that a benefit on the oldest participants might be camouflaged by the large middle-aged majority of study participants," authors noted.

According to the National Institute of Health, the ability of vitamin E to prevent cancer, heart disease, dementia, liver disease, and stroke are still not known. At lower levels, vitamin E may help protect the heart. 

Vitamin E is found in wheat germ, corn, nuts, seeds, olives and vegetable oils. 

The best way to get enough essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods.

Stephen Lau and editing by Aimee Keenan-Greene

Vitamin E rich foods include the following, according to wikipedia.org (photos from wikipedia.org)

Breakfast cereals	Sunflower oil	Nuts	Spinach
Turnip	Beet	Collard	Tomato
Pumpkin	Sweet potato	Blue crab	Mango
Asparagus	Broccoli	Papaya	Olive