Taking Vitamin E supplements can help boost the immune system as well as help prevent several diseases, an Ohio State doctor said Tuesday night.Louis Nardella, an internist at the OSU Internal Medicine Center in Grove City, gave the presentation about Vitamin E as part of “Health for Life,” a series of programs and classes offered to the Columbus community by the OSU Medical Center.Nardella explained the basics of vitamins and antioxidants before going on to discuss several studies that have shown Vitamin E to help in preventing a variety of diseases. As an antioxidant, Vitamin E neutralizes free radicals, which cause tissue damage and have been linked to many diseases.Besides boosting the immune system, he said Vitamin E has been shown to prevent certain types of cancer, heart disease, slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and help reduce cysts and breast pain for women with fibrocystic disease.A study published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Alzheimer’s patients who took large doses of the vitamin daily were able to maintain their normal activities longer and delay entrance into a nursing home, he said.Because Vitamin E acts as a blood thinner, Nardella said it is also useful for women taking birth control pills, because it reduces the risk of blood clots. It is also effective when applied topically on burns.Some adverse effects of Vitamin E is an increased risk of hemorrhagic strokes, caused when blood leaks into the brain. He said this is mainly a concern for patients already taking drugs such as aspirin or Coumadin, that are also blood thinners.Nardella said he recommends that his patients take 100 to 400 International Units (IU) of Vitamin E each day. An International Unit is equal to approximately one milligram. “I really feel my patients should be on this, especially if they have high risk factors,” he said. “If you don’t have any risk factors and you lead a healthy lifestyle, then it probably isn’t necessary.” Good sources of Vitamin E include avocados, sweet potatoes, oil and nuts, such as sunflower seeds.