Experts warn of vitamin supplement linked to 22% increase in brain bleeds

Vitamin supplements are used by many health conscious people to prevent deficiencies and promote strong bones and other health benefits.

However, a new study has found that high dosage or prolonged use of some vitamin supplements can increase your risk of a brain bleed.

According to Markus Schürks, MD, a researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, one popular supplement can increase your risk of a haemorrhagic stroke by 22%.

Although supplements are regarded as beneficial across the majority of the medical community, the study raised concerns over high dosage and prolonged use.

Man taking vitamins and supplements (gettyimages.ie)

Researchers found vitamin E supplements can increase the risk of a haemorrhagic stroke and lower the risk of ischaemic strokes.

A haemorrhagic stroke is due to bleeding in or around the brain, whereas an ischaemic stroke occurs due to a blockage in an artery leading to the brain.

As ischaemic strokes are less common than haemorrhagic strokes, the author of the study Markus Schürks said prolonged use of vitamin E supplements should be discouraged.

He said: “In this meta-analysis, vitamin E increased the risk for haemorrhagic stroke by 22% and reduced the risk of ischaemic stroke by 10%. This differential risk pattern is obscured when looking at total stroke.

“Given the relatively small risk reduction of ischaemic stroke and the generally more severe outcome of haemorrhagic stroke, indiscriminate widespread use of vitamin E should be auctioned against.”

The study included nine trials investigating the effect of vitamin E on incident stroke, totalling 118,765 participants, 59,357 randomised to vitamin E and 59 408 to placebo.

Among those, seven trials reported data for total stroke and five trials each for haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke.

The study did find that vitamin E had no effect on the risk for total stroke. However, the risk for haemorrhagic stroke was increased, while the risk of ischaemic stroke was reduced.

In terms of absolute risk, this translates into one additional haemorrhagic stroke for every 1250 individuals taking vitamin E, in contrast to one ischaemic stroke prevented per 476 individuals taking vitamin E.