A Systematic Review of Effects of Vitamin E on the Cardiovascular System

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and an antioxidant that prevents the peroxidation of lipid in vitro. The antioxidant role of vitamin E in preventing adverse cardiovascular outcomes is controversial as some studies support it, while others reject it. Therefore, this review aims to determine whether there is an association between vitamin E and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). An electronic search was done to find out relevant articles. Papers were shortlisted after the initial title and abstract screen. A full-text study was done, and inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied before the quality assessment of each paper was done. Only high-quality papers were selected for analysis. Full-text articles of the last ten years were included, while non-English articles, gray literature, and animal studies were excluded. The majority of the papers, including 75% of the total population in this review, suggested no role of vitamin E in preventing CVD and CVD mortality. Some studies also suggested that a high level of vitamin E can be associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Thus, one should be prudent about taking vitamin E supplementation for cardiovascular risk prevention.