Higher dosage Vitamin E protects a woman from dangerous blood clots

If a blood clot forms in a vein it can dislodge and travel through the blood stream. If it lodges in the heart, lungs, or brain it can be life-threatening or lead to major disability. The formation of the clot is referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE). The formation of these dangerous clots may be as common an occurrence as heart attacks or strokes. The current treatment for this condition is Coumadin (warfarin) a drug that is often unpredictable because it interacts with so many other drugs, nutrients and many of the healthiest of foods.

In this study Harvard researchers placed 39,876 women on either 600 IU of Vitamin E or inactive placebo every other day for 10.2 years on average. The women were 45 years of age or older. This higher potency Vitamin E cut the risk of VTE by a significant 21%. If the VTE was unprovoked, meaning it wasn't caused by an accident, surgery, or disease, the reduction in risk was 27%. If the woman had suffered from a VTE previously it reduced her risk by a solid 44%. If the women were born with specific gene mutations that increased their risk of suffering from VTE it reduced their risk by 49% or about one-half. The study is published online ahead of print in the journal Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association.