Vitamin E May Lower Risk of Hip Fractures

Hip fractures are a serious problem as we age and can cause major disability or even death. A recent study found that taking vitamin E alpha-tocopherol supplements may lower the risk of hip fractures in mature women by 22%.

Participants in the study included 14,738 women who took part in the 19 year Swedish Mammography Cohort. After examining the data, the researchers found that the lowest levels of alpha-tocopherol were associated with an 86% increased risk of hip fracture and a 20% increased risk in any fracture.

Additionally, taking supplements of alpha-tocopherol was associated with a 22% lower risk of hip fracture and a 14% reduced risk of any fracture.

The researchers also examined data from the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men. They found that men with the lowest levels of alpha-tocopherol had a likely risk of hip fracture that was three times as high as men with the highest levels of alpha-tocopherol.

Researchers from Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on November 13, 2013, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Vitamin E has eight different forms: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Tocopherol is the most common form in both the American diet and European diets. Tocotrienols are less prominent in the Western diet.

Previous studies have shown that vitamin E intake is associated with lower cholesterol, healthier skin, maintaining a proper hormonal balance, and preventing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). If you’re looking to add more vitamin E to your diet, try eating more sunflower seeds, breakfast cereal, tomatoes, dried herbs, and dried apricots.