VITAMIN E OVERDOSAGE
Claimed by enthusiasts as an anti-aging vitamin and as a remedy for most skin disorders, vitamin E is not considered effective for these purposes by most doctors and dietitians. They agree, however, that it helps tissues defend themselves against harmful oxidant “free radicals” that may be one cause of cancer.
However, for that, one needs no more vitamin E than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), which is 10 mg daily for a large man. More than this does harm, and Geriatrics (39#2:69) lists the signs and symptoms that usually result from excessive dosage.
The most serious side effects include: thrombophlebitis (inflammation and tenderness under the skin, with bumps and bruises over the veins), pulmonary embolism (blood clots lodging in the circulation of the lung, causing a dangerous illness, with pain in the chest, shortness of breath and blood spitting), high blood pressure, severe fatigue, and tender enlargement of the breasts. Some more easily seen effects include: chapped lips, sore mouth, blister-like rashes, and very slow healing of wounds. Others are: nausea, diarrhea, intestinal cramps, and night blindness (due to vitamin A deficiency since very large doses of vitamin E antagonize vitamin A).
Since vitamin E capsules containing several times the RDA are on sale, many people must be taking it in dangerously large amounts. The Journal of the American Medical Association (246:129) recently published an article deploring the fashionable habit of taking vitamin E in “megadoses” every day and reported that the author sees many patients with the side effects of overdosage with vitamin E.
Unfortunately, the cause of its bad effects can easily be overlooked since they rarely all appear together or begin until large doses have been taken for many months.
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