Vitamin E (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) and heart
What 3 graded rows on vitamin e (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) agree on for heart, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Vitamin E (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Vitamin E (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
Vitamin E (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) and heart
3 rows · 64,058 peopleThey agree: all 3 rows found no difference.
- ∅No effect× 3
- Rows
- 3
- Trials
- 3
- People
- 64,058
What the rows share
From the rowsEvery row is graded No effect, our grade for adequately powered trials that found no effect.
The rows run from 9,541 to 39,876 people, published from 2005 to 2008: 3 single studies.
The rows
3 no difference- ∅No effectMajor heart and blood-vessel events in healthy women (WHS) · No difference
RCT · n 39,876 · 2005 · Apparently healthy US women aged at least 45
600 IU natural-source vitamin E on alternate days · Average 10.1 years
Major cardiovascular events were not significantly reduced (RR 0.93; 95% CI 0.82-1.05), nor were total cancer or total mortality. Cardiovascular death was 24% lower (RR 0.76), a secondary finding.
Row on the Vitamin E (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) page · PubMed 15998891 (opens PubMed)
- ∅No effectMajor heart and blood-vessel events in men 50+ (PHS II) · No difference
RCT · n 14,641 · 2008 · US male physicians aged 50 or older (5.1% with prior cardiovascular disease)
400 IU vitamin E every other day · Mean follow-up 8 years
No effect on major cardiovascular events (HR 1.01; 95% CI 0.90-1.13) or total mortality, but a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke (HR 1.74; 95% CI 1.04-2.91).
Row on the Vitamin E (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) page · PubMed 18997197 (opens PubMed)
- ∅No effectMajor heart and blood-vessel events in high-risk adults (HOPE / HOPE-TOO) · No difference
RCT · n 9,541 · 2005 · Adults at least 55 years old with vascular disease or diabetes mellitus
400 IU natural-source vitamin E daily · Median follow-up 7.0 years (HOPE-TOO extension)
No difference in major cardiovascular events (RR 1.04; 95% CI 0.96-1.14), cancer incidence or cancer deaths. Heart failure (RR 1.13) and hospitalization for heart failure (RR 1.21) were higher with vitamin E.
Row on the Vitamin E (natural d-alpha vs synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol) page · PubMed 15769967 (opens PubMed)