Vitamin E: good for the heart, bad for the bones?

Vitamin E is commonly taken as a dietary supplement because it has been shown to have cardioprotective effects. However, its effects on bone metabolism are unknown. A new study in mice shows that alpha-tocopherol, the main isoform of vitamin E, stimulates bone osteoclast fusion independently of its antioxidant activity, resulting in increased bone resorption (pages 589-594).