Vitamin E

(Photo from NPR)

Your humble correspondent began taking Vitamin E supplements 20 years ago. The cost of the antioxidant tabs was modest--10-15 cents per day--while benefits were potentially great: possible prevention of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and macular degeneration.

Recently, however, there have been a few concerns raised:

One study showed that Vitamin C and E supplements hindered athletes' ability to build up muscle endurance.

More worrisome is another study that indicated that Vitamin E can fuel the growth of lung cancer in mice rather than curb it.

While it's still probable that the supplement is safe, the cost-benefit comparison has shifted enough to change my behavior. I've stopped taking Vitamin E tablets as of last summer. © 2014 Stephen Yuen