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Vitamin E: good for the heart, bad for the bones?

Nature Medicine volume 18, pages 491–492 (2012)Cite this article

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Vitamin E is commonly taken as a dietary supplement because it has been shown to have cardioprotective effects. However, its effects on bone metabolism are unknown. A new study in mice shows that α-tocopherol, the main isoform of vitamin E, stimulates bone osteoclast fusion independently of its antioxidant activity, resulting in increased bone resorption (pages 589–594).

Vitamin E is one of the most important lipid-soluble antioxidants, and it has been reported to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system by reducing atherosclerotic plaques, coronary artery disease and acute myocardial infarction1. A 2005 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in nine adults takes more than 267 mg per day of vitamin E, even though the daily recommended dose is only 15 mg per day2,3. Although it is clear that vitamin D, another fat-soluble vitamin, when combined with calcium plays a major part in maintaining bone health and reducing the risk of fractures4, the effects of vitamin E on bone are unclear.

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Figure 1: Using mouse genetic models, Fujita et al.11 show that the major vitamin E isoform, α-tocopherol, functions in the later differentiation stage of osteoclast (OC) formation to promote the fusion of osteoclast precursors.

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  1. Department of Medicine, G. David Roodman is Director of Hematology/Oncology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.,

    G David Roodman

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Correspondence to G David Roodman.

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Roodman, G. Vitamin E: good for the heart, bad for the bones?. Nat Med 18, 491–492 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2718

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