The Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Menopause is a physiological change in any woman. Nevertheless, its symptoms could be difficult to accept, and hormone therapy can be sometimes unattractive or contraindicated. Vitamin E components are phytoestrogens, so they are believed to be useful in some indications including menopause. This review aimed to assess the available evidence on the effectiveness of vitamin E in alleviating menopausal symptoms. The Pubmed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Scopus databases were screened. All types of studies that assessed the effectiveness of vitamin E in alleviating menopausal symptoms were included. The PICO question was: “How does vitamin E supplementation affect menopausal symptom occurrence?” The PROSPERO ID number of this review is CRD42022328830. After quality assessment, 16 studies were included in the analysis. The studies were divided into three groups in which the influence of vitamin E on the genital syndrome of menopause, vasomotor symptoms and vascular and metabolic changes were assessed. Vitamin E influences postmenopausal hot flashes, vascular modulation, plasma lipid profile level and vaginal changes. Compared to vitamin E, estrogen administration leads to better clinical effects. Nevertheless, vitamin E might serve as additive to hormone therapy and its alternative in women with contraindications to estrogens. More quality data are necessary to draw final conclusions.

Real‑world performance and safety of vaginal ovules in reducing the vaginal symptoms associated with vulvovaginal atrophy and postmenopausal sexual dysfunction

“…This has negative effects on sexuality and sexual function. Studies report that dyspareunia and postmenopausal vaginal health are taboo topics for a substantial number of patients ( 28 , 29 ). Both healthcare professionals and patients may find it difficult to approach the subject of sexual problems associated with menopause and vulvovaginal atrophy ( 29 ).…”

“…A recent review by Porterfield et al ( 27 ) summarized evidence for vaginal vitamin E efficacy in reducing patient-reported genitourinary symptoms in healthy postmenopausal patients compared with placebo or vaginal estrogen. A review by Feduniw et al ( 28 ) concluded that vitamin E might be an option for standard hormone therapy and may be an option to treat symptomatic patients with contraindications to estrogen.…”

Effects of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake on Vasomotor Symptoms, Sleep Quality and Depression in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review

“…Nevertheless, a significant number of women currently exhibit reluctance to pursue HT, primarily attributed to apprehensions regarding associated risks [44]. Nonhormonal treatments, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotoninnorepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), offer a promising approach to addressing menopausal symptoms in women [45]. Extensive research has confirmed the effectiveness of non-hormonal treatments in significantly diminishing the intensity and severity of HF, with reported decreases of up to 70-80% [46].…”

Multidisciplinary Approaches in Menopause Patients to Improve Their Quality of Life

“…It has an important effect on the clinical manifestations of the climacteric, especially on postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms, vaginal, neurological and vascular changes. (28) Radnia N, Hosseini ST, et al; carried out a randomized clinical trial with a population of 64 postmenopausal women who presented genitourinary syndrome, they were divided into 2 teams (1 study and 1 control). The study group used vaginal creams combined with vitamins D and E, and the control group was treated with vaginal creams based on conjugated estrogens for a period of 12 weeks, regular visits were made where libido, vaginal symptoms (pruritus, dryness and dyspareunia) improved in both trials, it was concluded in this research that the use of vaginal creams of vitamins D and E have the same positive and beneficial effect as creams with conjugated estrogens.…”