Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Hemoglobin Levels in Healthy Adults

Anemia is one of the major health problems of the developing countries of the world \[1\]. According to the WHO reference criteria, an adult is labeled as anemic, if the blood hemoglobin concentration falls below 13.0 g/dL in men or less than 12.0 g/dL in the non-pregnant women \[2\]. Hemoglobin concentrations below the lower limit of normal are a common laboratory finding in apparently healthy people in general population all over the world \[3-5\]. Many of these mildly anemic individuals are not investigated sufficiently to establish the probable cause of their anemia and thus may end up with morbidity and health problems, especially the young women in developing countries \[4\]. Only few studies on the use of vitamin E in the correction of anemia have been published and hardly any on correction of mild anemia in healthy adults. The objective of this intervention study was to investigate the association of vitamin E supplementation with post-supplemental blood hemoglobin levels in mildly anemic healthy Pakistani adults.