Can vitamin E be toxic?

[lostinself]

While researching some stuff on mineral supplementation, i've stumbled upon an article quoted below. It's about research lead by a pair of Ohio University scientists which has shown a certain form of vitamin E to have destructive impact on cells.

Basically we know 2 forms of vitamin E: alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol. The first one can be found in olive oil, sunflower seeds and almonds, while the latter occurs mainly in soy and corn products. Gamma-tocopherol seems to be the "evil brother" here: it interferes with protein folding inside cells which can eventually lead to their destruction. Alpha-T hasn't been found to produce anything similar. Disturbed protein folding has been shown to occur in various diseases, including diabetes and Parkinson's.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, it's the gamma form that's is being widely promoted as an antioxidant and a possible treatment for certain types of cancer. If we take all the research on vit. E, it appears inconclusive and often conflicting - guess it may be related to alpha and gamma forms working differently in the body.

NUTRITIONAL FRIEND OR FOE? VITAMIN E SENDS MIXED MESSAGES

COLUMBUS , Ohio –

One of the most powerful antioxidants is truly a double-edged sword, say researchers at Ohio State University who studied how two forms of vitamin E act once they are inside animal cells.

In the past couple of decades, a slough of studies has looked at the benefits of vitamin E and other antioxidants. While a considerable amount of this research touts the advantages of consuming antioxidants, some of the studies have found that in certain cases, antioxidants, including vitamin E, may actually increase the potential for developing heart disease, cancer and a host of other health problems.

This study provides clues as to why this could happen, say Jiyan Ma, an assistant professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry, and his colleague David Cornwell, an emeritus professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry, both at Ohio State.

The two men led a study that compared how the two most common forms of vitamin E - one is found primarily in plants like corn and soybeans, while the other is found in olive oil, almonds, sunflower seeds and mustard greens affect the health of animal cells. The main difference between the two forms is a slight variation in their chemical structures.

In laboratory experiments, the kind of vitamin E found in corn and soybean oil, gamma-tocopherol, ultimately destroyed animal cells. But the other form of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol, did not. (Tocopherol is the scientific name for vitamin E.)

"In the United States we tend to eat a diet rich in corn and soybean oil, so we consume much greater amounts of gamma-tocopherol than alpha-tocopherol," Cornwell said. "But most of the vitamin E coursing through out veins is alpha-tocopherol the body selects for this version. We want to know why that is, and whether the selection of the alpha-tocopherol confers an evolutionary benefit in animal cells." While the study doesn't get into the possible effects on health, the researchers raise the point that there is still a great deal that isn't known about how antioxidants act in the body.


Cornwell and Ma explain their findings in this week's Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They conducted the study with several colleagues from the departments of molecular and cellular biochemistry and chemistry at Ohio State.

The researchers conducted laboratory experiments on cells taken from the brains of mice. They treated some of the cells with metabolic end products, called quinones, of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol.

When the body breaks down vitamin E, these end products are what enter and act on our cells. However, Ma said that our bodies get rid of most gamma-tocopherol before it ever has a chance to reach its quinone stage.

Still, some nutritional supplement companies make and sell gamma-tocopherol supplements, promoting this version of vitamin E as a good antioxidant source. In theory, taking a vitamin supplement a concentrated form of the vitamin - increases the amount of that substance in the body.

Using laboratory techniques that allowed them to detect the activity of the quinones inside the cells, the researchers found that the gamma-tocopherol quinone formed a compound which destroyed that cell. It did so by preventing proper protein folding in the cells, which causes a cellular response that is involved in a variety of human diseases, including diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

However, the alpha-tocopherol quinone did not kill cells, nor did it interfere with protein folding. The researchers repeated their experiments on kidney cells cultured from monkeys and on skin cells cultured from mice and found similar results.

"We think that gamma-tocopherol may have this kind of damaging effect on nearly every type of cell in the body," Ma said.

While the study doesn't get into the possible effects on health, the researchers raise the point that there is still a great deal that isn't known about how antioxidants act in the body. In order to get to that point, scientists must study how antioxidants and cells interact on their most fundamental levels.

 

[Voyageur]

While researching some stuff on mineral supplementation, i've stumbled upon an article quoted below. It's about research lead by a pair of Ohio University scientists which has shown a certain form of vitamin E to have destructive impact on cells.

Basically we know 2 forms of vitamin E: alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol. The first one can be found in olive oil, sunflower seeds and almonds, while the latter occurs mainly in soy and corn products. Gamma-tocopherol seems to be the "evil brother" here: it interferes with protein folding inside cells which can eventually lead to their destruction. Alpha-T hasn't been found to produce anything similar. Disturbed protein folding has been shown to occur in various diseases, including diabetes and Parkinson's.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, it's the gamma form that's is being widely promoted as an antioxidant and a possible treatment for certain types of cancer. If we take all the research on vit. E, it appears inconclusive and often conflicting - guess it may be related to alpha and gamma forms working differently in the body.

NUTRITIONAL FRIEND OR FOE? VITAMIN E SENDS MIXED MESSAGES

COLUMBUS , Ohio –

One of the most powerful antioxidants is truly a double-edged sword, say researchers at Ohio State University who studied how two forms of vitamin E act once they are inside animal cells.

[...]

In laboratory experiments, the kind of vitamin E found in corn and soybean oil, gamma-tocopherol, ultimately destroyed animal cells. But the other form of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol, did not. (Tocopherol is the scientific name for vitamin E.)

I'm just speculating here, both these gamma-tocopherol Vit-E base foods are known to be heavily genetically engineered, so what affect would that have on the Vit-E? Can the Vit-E even be be damaged; turned toxic by the modification or is it something else? The study does not say where the corn and soybean oil samples were sourced let alone if they had been modified/engineered.

The researchers conducted laboratory experiments on cells taken from the brains of mice. They treated some of the cells with metabolic end products, called quinones, of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol.

When the body breaks down vitamin E, these end products are what enter and act on our cells. However, Ma said that our bodies get rid of most gamma-tocopherol before it ever has a chance to reach its quinone stage.

Still, some nutritional supplement companies make and sell gamma-tocopherol supplements, promoting this version of vitamin E as a good antioxidant source. In theory, taking a vitamin supplement a concentrated form of the vitamin - increases the amount of that substance in the body.

Using laboratory techniques that allowed them to detect the activity of the quinones inside the cells, the researchers found that the gamma-tocopherol quinone formed a compound which destroyed that cell. It did so by preventing proper protein folding in the cells, which causes a cellular response that is involved in a variety of human diseases, including diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

However, the alpha-tocopherol quinone did not kill cells, nor did it interfere with protein folding. The researchers repeated their experiments on kidney cells cultured from monkeys and on skin cells cultured from mice and found similar results.

"We think that gamma-tocopherol may have this kind of damaging effect on nearly every type of cell in the body," Ma said.

While the study doesn't get into the possible effects on health, the researchers raise the point that there is still a great deal that isn't known about how antioxidants act in the body. In order to get to that point, scientists must study how antioxidants and cells interact on their most fundamental levels.

Interesting. The vit-E supplement reference being mostly gamma makes one think.

 

[casper]

I found this about vitamin E:
Quote:
Toxicity
Symptoms of hypervitaminosis E: stomach cramps, diarrhea, fatigue, double and blurred vision, muscle weakness, nausea, headache, rash, bruising and bleeding. [1,2]

When vitamin E gets only food, there are no documented studies on its toxicity. However, supplementing with vitamin E taken in higher doses (3200 IU) show less toxicity, and appear above symptoms. [1,2,3]

There is concern about the possible link scientists vitamin E and its effect on blood clotting, and thus increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke. E vitamins are affected n blood clotting only when lack of vitamin K, and studies show that doses between 300 and 800 IU per day increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, but reduce the risk of ischemic stroke. [2,3,4]

Studies show that vitamin E at doses of 800 IU - 1000 IU per day does not affect the level of glucose, lipoproteins, and bilirubin in the blood, nor to the metabolic functions of the liver and kidneys, and the number of red blood cells and clotting factors. Moreover, further studies have shown that does not affect the concentration of thyroid hormones, creatinine, albumin and hemoglobin. Tests teratogenicity, mutagenicity and reproductive toxicity of vitamin E have also shown negative. Clinical side effects topically applied vitamin E are rare, and local and generalized contact dermatitis, contact urticaria and erythema multiforme are some of them. [4,5,6,7]

There is concern about long-term use of vitamin E (2000 IU) and increased risk of total mortality. However, detailed research has not found such a link, and it is considered that the vitamin E in a dose of 800 IU per day is safe and there is no risk to health. [3,6,8]

Animal studies have shown that when very high doses of vitamin E may act as an antagonist of other fat-soluble vitamins. More specifically, a negative effect on bone mineralization (vitamin D), reduced hepatic reserves of vitamin A and causing coagulopathy (vitamin K). [9]

Special warnings
Angioplasty - It is recommended to avoid taking vitamin E and other antioxidants (β-carotene, vitamin C) before or after angioplasty, without medical supervision, because it is possible that these vitamins (antioxidants) interfere with treatment. [10]

Lack of Vitamin K - Vitamin E worsens blood clotting disorder caused by lack of vitamin K. If there is already a lack of vitamin K in the body, vitamin E can interfere with the blood zgrušvanja and further prolonged clotting time and bleeding uzrokovti. [2,4,5]

Head and neck cancer - At doses above 400 IU per day is assumed that vitamin E increases the chance of development and the return of the head and neck cancer. [11]

Operations - Some studies have shown that high doses of vitamin E increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery. It is recommended to stop taking vitamin E at least 2 weeks prior to surgery (Ideally a month). However, at 200 to 300 IU per day helps in the recovery from the surgery by neutralizing free radicals formation. [12]

Retinitis pigmentosa - Vitamin E may exacerbate the condition called retinitis pigmentosa; synthetic vitamin E at doses of 400 IU of accelerating vision loss in patients with this disease. However, lower doses of vitamin E do not have such an effect.


The impact on health and disease
Alzheimer's disease
The brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress, which is believed to be the cause of many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. Results of the connection between vitamin E as an antioxidant, and Alzheimer's disease are contradictory. One study found that in patients with Alzheimer's disease in the early stages of the disease, the synthetic vitamin E in doses of 2,000 IU per day for two years slows the progress of the disease. However, other studies have not found a relationship between vitamin E and the prevention / treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and the vitamin E is not used for this purpose. It is generally believed that vitamin E may slow the worsening of the disease (loss of memory), but it does not prevent the progress of the disease. Vitamin E and vitamin C are associated with a significant reduction in the risk of vascular (dementia caused by stroke) and other dementias, or Alzheimer's disease and no. Vitamin E is also linked to the achievement of better results on tests of cognitive ability. [1,2,3]

Cardiovascular disease
Oxidative changes in LDL cholesterol can cause atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Vitamin E prevents or delays the development of the disease by limiting the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol and helps reduce blood clots that cause heart attacks. Of vitamin E to reduce the coagulation of the blood and increases the oxygenation of the tissues of benefit in reducing the symptoms of cardiovascular diseases such as angina pectoris and intermittent claudication (leg pain when walking due to insufficient oxygenation of the blood), and congenital and rheumatic heart disease. Studies show a reduced risk of heart disease when entering vitamin E (α-tocopherol) of at least 100 IU per day. [4,5,6,7] Also, research shows that women who take vitamin E (600 IU) reduced risk of venous thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism, especially in women who are prone to these diseases. [8] Vitamin E in doses of 800 IU significantly reduces the risk of heart disease (heart attacks) in chronic kidney patients. However, some research suggests that a dose of 400 IU α-tocopherol daily does not reduce the number of heart attacks in people who already suffer from heart disease or are at risk of developing them. Require further detailed studies on the effect of vitamin E to reduce the risk of heart disease. [9,10,11,12]

Parkinson's disease
Moderate to high doses of dietary vitamin E reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease. Conclusion The same has not been passed for vitamin E from supplements prehrani.Također, research shows that free radicals formed during the decomposition of dopamine and drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, and vitamin E, a strong antioxidant; can help to prevent further cell damage in patients with the disease. [13,14,15]

Cancer
Due to the antioxidant effect of vitamin E, many scientists believe that vitamin E can help prevent cancer. It also emphasizes that the antioxidant system of the human body and complex that taking antioxidants through supplements may not have the same effect as antioxidants from foods. Cancer cells proliferate rapidly and are resistant to programmed cell death (apoptosis). Vitamin E acts against cancer in different ways: killing cancer cells, enhancing the action of drugs used in chemotherapy, reducing their harmful effects and strengthens the immune system, and can also prevent the formation of nitrosamines, which are highly carcinogenic. α-tocopheryl succinate can inhibit proliferation and trigger apoptosis in many types of cancer cells. What is interesting is that α-tocopheryl succinate has antioxidant properties. [16,17,18,19]

Breast cancer - tocotrienol inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro, through the estrogen-dependent mechanisms. Also, tocotrienols act synergistically with tamoxifen, conventional cure for breast cancer. δ-tocotrienol is the most efficient in the induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Further studies have shown that γ-tocotrienol inhibits Id1, a protein that stimulates the formation of cancer. However, there are studies that it is contradictory, and it is therefore necessary to further investigate the effect of vitamin E on breast cancer. [20,21,22]

Colorectal cancer - Research shows that vitamin E may reduce the risk of colon cancer, especially in older than 65 years. It is assumed that the reason is the property of vitamin E to reduce the formation of nitrosamines and DNA damage and its effect on the proliferation of cells of the colon. However, other studies have not found significant correlation risk of colon cancer and vitamin E and therefore need further research. [23,24]

Skin cancer -investigation show a reduction of cancerous cells of the skin when it is treated with γ-tocotrienol in combination with drugs used in chemotherapy. γ-tocotrienol enhances the sensitivity of human malignant melanoma cells, γ- and δ-tocotrienol and lessen rst melanoma. [25]

Bladder Cancer - A diet rich in vitamin E or take additional vitamin E, specifically α-tocopherol, reduces the risk of bladder cancer by about 50%. [26]

Prostate cancer - γ-tocopherol has proven effective against prostate cancer by inhibiting the propagation of cancer cells without causing damage to healthy cells of the prostate. Studies show that γ-tocopherol in combination with the particular δ-tocopherol and selenium induce apoptosis in androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells by interfering with the synthesis of sphingolipids, a molecule in the membrane which act as messengers and thus managing the events in the cell. α-tocopherol does not have this effect. However, some studies have shown that taking large amounts of vitamin E (in supplements) may increase the risk of prostate cancer. [27,28,29,30]

Diabetes
Antioxidants can help control blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and protect against complications in patients with type 1 diabetes (retinopathy and nephropathy). Also, a dose of 400 IU in people with type 2 diabetes significantly reduces the risk of heart attack and a dose of 100 IU significantly improve the level of glycosylated hemoglobin and triglyceride levels in patients with type 1 diabetes Vitamin E applied topically to treat wounds in patients with diabetes and also helps to reduce leg cramps and circulatory problems. However further research is needed on the effect of vitamin E on diabetes. [31,32]

Health Skin
Aging, degeneration of tissue and skin changes can be linked to harmful effects of free radicals, and vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and is thought to protect against sun damage to the skin. Due to the antioxidant effect of vitamin E is used as an aid in the treatment of lesions, ulcers, burns, scratches, dry skin, and the recovery and / or reduction of scars caused by injury or surgery. Oral administration of Vitamin E is recommended in the treatment of the syndrome of yellow nails, vibrational disease, epidermolysis bullosa, and wound healing. [33] α-tocopherol, tocopheryl acetate, tocopherol linoleate, tocopherol nicotinate, tocopherol succinate, potassium ascorbyl tocopheryl phosphate and tocofersolan used in the compositions skin care and the treatment of various skin diseases. Human sebum contains high amounts of α-tocopherol, and the secretion of the sebaceous glands is an essential physiological route of transmission α-tocopherol to the skin. The topical combination of vitamins C and E proved to be successful in the treatment of chloasma and contact dermatitis lesions of the pigment while topically applied α-tocopherol in a concentration of 0.1% to 1% effectively protects the skin enhancing its antioxidant protection. The combination of vitamin C and E proved to be successful in reducing the sensitivity of the skin to sunlight (photodermatitis), and the application of vitamin E prior to exposure to sunlight significantly decreases erythema, edema, burns, and skin wrinkling, while the combination of vitamin A and E helps in various rashes, including those caused by lupus erythematosus. [34,35,36,37]

Eye Health
Vitamin E (400 IU) with zinc (80 mg), β-carotene (15 mg) and vitamin C (500 mg) slows macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness over 55 years. It is not known whether vitamin E alone spiječava onset or slowing the emergence of the disease. [38]

Cataracts are formed due to oxidation of proteins in the lens of the eye, and the oxidation can be prevented with antioxidants, such as vitamin E. Studies show that the clarity of the lens of the eye is greater when taken regularly vitamin E. However, other studies show that the combination of vitamin C and E, and β-carotene have no effect on the development of cataracts and also that vitamin E alone does not reduce the risk of cataracts and that does not reduce the progress of the disease. Further research is needed to link the development of cataracts and antioxidants, especially vitamin E. [39,40]

Lung health
Vitamin E as an antioxidant protecting cell membranes and lung tissue from pollution, especially ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air. Also, vitamin E reduces the damage caused by cigarettes. Substances in cigarette smoke cause the formation of free radicals in the lungs that povećvaju risk of lung cancer or emphysema (chronic lung disease). The levels of vitamin E in the fluid that surrounds the lung tissue six time less in smokers than in nonsmokers. But the research does not link vitamin E with a decreased risk of lung cancer. [41,42]

Women's health
Research shows that vitamin E may reduce menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea). Taking vitamin E 2 days before and 3 days after the start of menstrual pain and reduces the duration of menstruation and also reduces the amount of extracted blood. Also, vitamin E helps to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) who it reduces symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Many of the problems that occur in menopause, such as headaches, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, vaginal itching due to, can be reduced by taking vitamin E. When using the contraceptive pill, vitamin E protects the possible side effects of oral contraceptives, but the estrogen reduces the amount of vitamin E, and it is necessary to take more. In the treatment of fibrocystic breast disease or cystic mastitis vitamin E is used topically and orally; Estrogen potentiates the disease, while vitamin E protects the body from the harmful effects of estrogen. Combinations of vitamin E and vitamin C can help prevent pre-eclampsia in women at such a risk.


Link:
https://translate.google.hr/translate?sl=hr&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=hr&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdefinicijahrane.hr%2Fdefinicija%2Fhranjive-tvari%2Fvitamini%2Fvitamin-e%2F&edit-text=

 

[ra888]

Hi, This is an old thread but I just received a newsletter from an Orthomolecular Journal

Drs. Wilfrid & Evan Shute Cured Thousands with Vitamin E

Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, June 12, 2023

Drs. Wilfrid & Evan Shute Cured Thousands with Vitamin E
And it all began over 70 years ago​

by Andrew W. Saul, Editor​

OMNS (June 12, 2023) The first course I ever taught was entitled "Forgotten Research in Medicine." That was in 1976. Even by that time, there had been a strikingly large number of impeccably qualified researchers and physicians who had left drug-and-cut medicine behind in favor of a naturopathic approach. I had seen so much well-documented evidence for the safety and effectiveness of therapeutic nutrition against major chronic diseases that I figured it must presently be self-evident to everybody. Surely, I thought, it could only be a matter of time (say twenty years at most) until all doctors shifted to natural healing, because word would spread like wildfire and all their patients would demand it of them.

I'd read a variety of articles documenting an incredibly bitter controversy which raged throughout the 1950's over the use of vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) for cardiovascular disease. Drs. Wilfrid and Evan Shute were at the center of this storm, which encircled their work in Ontario, Canada. They were among the very first medical doctors to clinically employ large doses of the vitamin in place of conventional drug therapy. Almost all of the positive articles I saw were based on case histories and came from the popular press. Almost all of the criticism seemed to come from the medical press, which seemed singularly resistant to even try the Shute's approach, let alone endorse it. Yet, somehow, their unwillingness to test the Shute's high-dose, natural vitamin E protocol did not seem to prevent them from dismissing it.

In the early 50's, Canada was a hotbed of leading-edge nutritional research. In Saskatchewan at about the same time, Dr. Abram Hoffer and Dr. Humphrey Osmond found that niacin was the best way to treat psychosis. The Shutes found that vitamin E was the best way to treat heart disease. One might think that the only possible professional response to such important discoveries would be grateful acceptance and widespread journal publication.

Just the opposite occurred.



https://www.seleneriverpress.com/images/pdfs/THE_FIGHT_OVER_VITAMIN_E_1954_Special_Reprint_4-54.pdf

For decades it has been said that pharmaceutical medicine has little to gain from a cheap vitamin cure that cannot be patented and exploited for high profit. Observers have also witnessed what happens to medical doctors that have defected to drugless healing: they gain many grateful patients, and lose a lot of research funding. Few pharmaceutical companies willingly contribute to the competition.

The Shutes saw early that such would be the case, and paid their own way. They created their own research foundation and treatment facility (the Shute Institute), created their own journal (the Summary), and in so doing, some would say, created their own trouble.

Oddly enough, in 1948 they actually advocated making vitamin E a prescription item.

Perhaps this is understandable, given the spectacular, wonder-drug-style patient recoveries that the Shutes had already seen by mid-century.

TWENTY YEARS OF IGNORED SHUTE VITAMIN E RESEARCH: A Timeline

1936: Vitamin E-rich wheat germ oil cures angina.

1940: Vitamin E suspected as preventive of fibroids and endometriosis, and curative of atherosclerosis.

1945: Vitamin E shown to cure hemorrhages in skin and mucous membranes, and to decrease the diabetic's need for insulin.

1946: Vitamin E greatly improves wound healing, including skin ulcers. Also demonstrated effective in cases of claudication, acute nephritis, thrombosis, cirrhosis and phlebitis. Vitamin E strengthens and regulates heartbeat.

1947: Vitamin E successfully used as therapy for gangrene, inflammation of blood vessels (Buerger's disease), retinitis and choroiditis.

1948: Vitamin E helps lupus erythematosus and shortness of breath.

1950: Vitamin E shown to be effective treatment for varicose veins, and in cases of severe body burns.

1954: The Shutes' medical textbook, Alpha Tocopherol in Cardiovascular Disease, is published.

1956: The Heart and Vitamin E is published.

It is not overly easy to see how such promise could be ignored for long. But it was. Dr. Evan Shute's frustration with an unnaturally stubborn medical profession comes starkly through the text in his book The Vitamin E Story:

"It was nearly impossible now for anyone who valued his future in Academe to espouse Vitamin E, prescribe it or advise its use. That would make a man a "quack" at once. This situation lasted for many years. In the United States, of course, the closure of the J.A.M.A. pages against us and tocopherol meant that it did not exist. It was either in the U.S. medical bible or it was nought. No amount of documentation could budge medical men from this stance. Literature in the positive was ignored and left unread. Individual doctors often said: "If it is as good as you say, we would all be using it." But nothing could induce them as persons of scientific background to make the simplest trial on a burn or coronary." (p 146)

The American Medical Association even refused to let the Shute's present their findings at national medical conventions. (p 148-9) In the early 1960's, the United States Post Office successfully prevented even the mailing of vitamin E. (p 166)

Linus Pauling wrote, in the book's 1985 forward:

"The failure of the medical establishment during the last forty years to recognize the value of Vitamin E in controlling heart disease is responsible for a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering and for many early deaths. The interesting story of the efforts to suppress the Shute discoveries about Vitamin E illustrates the shocking bias of organized medicine against nutritional measures for achieving improved health." (vii)

O that things were truly better today, but they are not. Yes, the American public can and does buy vitamin E (even by mail) without a prescription. Still, I am unaware of any burn clinic using topical vitamin E as their primary treatment. I am yet to see "megadose vitamin E cures cardiovascular disease" commercials on TV. I have never seen a bottle of vitamin E in an intensive care unit. It has now been nearly 80 years since vitamin E was seen to greatly help diabetics and cardiovascular patients and only recently has medical research "discovered" a glimmer of the value of this vitamin. Yet for three-quarters of a century, vitamin E has been an available specific for intermittent claudication, angina, prevention of and recovery from heart attack, thrombophlebitis, and a wide variety of other serious conditions.

Aye, there's the rub.

Vitamin E is entirely too good for too many purposes. Consumer Reports trashed it in back in 1972, and often since. It didn't help matters that Evan Shute was "only" an obstetrician. (This obstetrician was, however, made a Fellow of the American Society of Angiology in 1969.) And today, vitamin E's very availability, and exceptional safety, seemingly render it unattractive for hospital use as the spectacular therapy that it is.

Tocopherol has been known and studied since the 1920's, generally in small quantities as a means to ensure a full-term pregnancy. Without the Shute brothers' high-dosage clinical work, especially in cardiology, no one at all would be megadosing with vitamin E today. We owe them our thanks, and our lives.

(This article appeared in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol. 17, No. 3, Third Quarter, 2002, pages 179-181 https://isom.ca/jom-archives/vol17-no3-2002/ and is reprinted with permission.)

A bibliography of the Shutes' principal written work is posted at http://www.doctoryourself.com/biblio_shute.html There is a whole lot for you to look at . . . for which I make no apology whatsoever. Cardiovascular disease remains our number one enemy, the biggest killer of men AND women.

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine​

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

Find a Doctor​

To locate an orthomolecular physician near you: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n09.shtml

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

There is also a digital copy of one of the books on archive.org -

The vitamin E story : the medical memoirs of Evan Shute​

The vitamin E story : the medical memoirs of Evan Shute : Shute, Evan, 1905-1978 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

and I found a pdf copy as well on a web search

The Vitamin E Story PDF by Dr. Evan Shute (Foreword by Dr. Linus Pauling ) - PDFCOFFEE.COM

Let me know if this is useful

thanks & regards

Rishi