Toxic effects of upper-limit dose of vitamin E
| Author | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
Jansen, Eugène H.J.M. | National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands | |
Beekhof, Piet K. | Laboratory for Health Protection research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands | |
Gremmer, Eric | National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands | |
| Date |
|---|
2013-06-05 |
Bibliogr.: p. 68
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with a number of beneficial effects. In a report of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin E was specified as 15 mg/day. The UL of α-tocopherol was determined as 1000 mg/day [1]. The study of short-term supplementation up to 1600 mg reported that this dose was well tolerated in healthy adults; however the long-term safety was questioned [2]. Another report suggested a possible increase in mortality rate in correlation with long-term use of vitamin E (400 mg or more) in patients with chronic diseases [3]. Therefore, a UL of 1000 mg/day may be too high. This UL was derived from a rat study which resulted in a LOAEL (lowest observed adverse effect level) of 500 mg α-tocopherol/kg bw [1]. In this report we describe a 14-day sub-chronic study in which 100 and 200 mg α-tocopherol/kg bw were administered to BALB-c mice daily. Biomarker measurements in serum were performed to assess possible adverse effects. The biomarkers of oxidation (ROM), total antioxidant capacity (BAP) and redox status (TTP) were not affected. Also the inflammation parameters IL-6 and TNFα did not change. But MCP-1, total PAI-1 and resistin increased substantially upon treatment with vitamin E. Consequences for the possible health effects will be discussed.