As a Brain Doctor, I’m Concerned: Could This Common Vitamin Supplement Affect Stroke Risk in Seniors?

function. It’s commonly included in multivitamins or standalone capsules marketed for heart and brain health.

However, large-scale reviews of clinical trials have raised questions about high-dose vitamin E supplementation. For example, meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials involving tens of thousands of participants have shown that vitamin E supplements may have mixed effects on stroke types. Specifically, they appear linked to a modest increase in the risk of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain) while potentially offering a small reduction in ischemic stroke (blockage-related).

One key analysis of multiple trials found