Retailer taken to task for iterating supplement claim found on NIH information page

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Walgreens was singled out in a lawsuit earlier this week here for suggesting a vitamin E supplement may help improve cardiovascular health. 

Specifically, according to a Reuters report Monday, the complainant stated that Walgreens' Vitamin E 400 IU purported to "naturally contribute to cardiovascular health by helping to protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation which may cause cellular damage." 

The plaintiff may have an uphill battle, however. According to the National Institute of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin E has been shown to do exactly that. 

"Evidence that vitamin E could help prevent or delay coronary heart disease comes from several sources," the government agency notes on its Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet on vitamin E for health professionals. "In vitro studies have found that the nutrient inhibits oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, thought to be a crucial initiating step for atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries]. Vitamin E might also help prevent the formation of blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or venous thromboembolism."

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