Dietary vitamin E and osteoporosis in older US adults
What it found
In 5,800 older US adults, higher dietary vitamin E intake was linked to a lower chance of having osteoporosis.
This was a snapshot study, so it cannot show cause and effect.
What they found
Studies in people
Osteoporosis prevalence
About 9.9% of the participants had osteoporosis. The average age was 61.4 years.
Higher intake, lower odds
Each extra 1 mg of daily vitamin E was linked to a 4% lower chance of having osteoporosis. The link stayed after adjusting for many factors.
Quartile comparison
People in the highest quarter for vitamin E intake had a lower chance of osteoporosis than those in the lowest quarter. The relationship appeared linear.
Subgroups
The link was similar across sex, age, race, education, BMI, smoking, prior fracture, hormone use, and vitamin D or calcium supplement use. An interaction was seen between vitamin E and prior fracture.
Sensitivity analyses
Adjusting for other nutrients and using two days of diet data gave similar results. The linear link remained.
What the authors conclude
“Our study indicated a linear association between dietary vitamin E levels and osteoporosis in an older population in the United States.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that their study showed a significant linear association between dietary vitamin E levels and osteoporosis in an older population in the United States.
- They advise that further research is required to explore the potential effects of different forms of vitamin E on osteoporosis.
How it was done
Oxidative stress with aging can lead to bone loss, and vitamin E is a strong antioxidant. The authors wanted to see whether dietary vitamin E is linked to osteoporosis in people, since this has not been well studied.
They looked at data from 5,800 adults aged 50 and over in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Vitamin E intake was estimated from a 24-hour food recall, and osteoporosis was diagnosed from hip and spine bone density scans.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a cross-sectional study, so it cannot show whether vitamin E intake causes or prevents osteoporosis.
- The study cannot rule out other factors that might explain the link.
- The findings may not apply to people under 50 or outside the United States.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China; Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
The paper
- Title
- Association between dietary vitamin E and osteoporosis in older adults in the United States
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zhuang R, Hou W, Zhang T, Wang T (2024). Association between dietary vitamin E and osteoporosis in older adults in the United States. Frontiers in endocrinology. doi:10.3389/fendo.2024.1410581Free full textPubMed 39497806DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error