Vitamin E - Information, Foods & Benefits of Vitamin E

Vitamin E benefits and information resource. Discover why Vitamin E is one of most popular supplements worldwide and find out the best dosage. The benefits of Vitamin-E for the overall good health of individuals are substantial. In particular, Vitamin-E is very important in healthy skin care.

Vitamin E Information

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that it is dissolved in fat. Vitamin E attaches to fat. This is how it is carried through the body. This is one reason why moderate amounts of fat are needed in the diet. The body can store fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin E has strong antioxidant properties. The vitamin may protect against heart disease and cancer. Its protective role has been widely studied. Vitamin E is part of a group of substances called tocopherols. Each group has different potencies.

Vitamin E Benefits

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from oxidation. Oxidation can lead to cell damage. Cell damage can lead to chronic health problems, such as heart disease and cancer. Vitamin E works closely with other antioxidants, like vitamin C and selenium, to help protect the body. Vitamin E improves the way the body uses vitamin A. It may help protect against ion the toxic effects of some metals, such as lead.

There are a variety of benefits of Vitamin E for skin care:

1. Vitamin E is vital in protecting skin cells from ultra violet light, pollution, drugs, and other elements that produce cell damaging free radicals.
2. Vitamin E has the ability to regulate vitamin a in the body, which itself is important for healthy skin.
3. Vitamin E plays a role in the anti-aging of skin. It helps skin look younger by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
4. Vitamin E lotions provide some benefit in preventing and treating sunburns. Such lotions do not work immediately. They must be applied about 20 minutes before sun exposure in order to allow the vitamin e to be absorbed deep into the epidermis layer.
5. Vitamin E can aid in the treatment of various skin diseases or skin conditions. Topical applications such as those used to treat psoriasis is one of the benefits of Vitamin-E. Orally ingested Vitamin E can help treat erythema (a skin inflammation that results in reddish, painful, and tender lumps).
6. Vitamin E might be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of scarring (acne scars or surgical scars) and healing of skin from various forms of damage such as burns.
7. One of the most important benefits of vitamin e is the prevention of skin cancer. This occurs because of its sun protection quality and of course its powerful antioxidant properties, which help reduce or prevent sun damage.
8. Vitamin E products help reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
9. Vitamin E can help prevent the appearance of age spots.
10. It helps maintain the skin’s oil balance during the cleansing process.
11. It reduces transepidermal water loss from skin and strengthens the skin’s barrier function.

Vitamin E Dosage

Your vitamin E dosage should not exceed 400 IU each day. Here is everything you need to know about taking the right amount of vitamin E. The recommended dietary allowances, or RDAs, for vitamin E were recently changed. They were increased to provide maximum health benefits. Levels were raised from 10 milligrams (mg) daily to 15 mg daily for adult men and women. Pregnancy increases the recommendations slightly. It is difficult to get enough vitamin E from food alone. To get the full benefit of vitamin E, a supplement is recommended. The government estimates that 68 percent of men and 71 percent of women do not get enough vitamin E daily.

An upper level, based only on intake from vitamin supplements has been set at 1,000 mg of alpha-tocopherol. This is the most potent form of vitamin E. The upper level is not the recommended amount to take. The upper level is the maximum intake of a vitamin or mineral that is likely to cause no health risks. People should not routinely go above the set upper levels for vitamins and minerals. Taking too much vitamin E puts people at risk for prolonged bleeding time. This is because large doses can interfere with vitamin K. Vitamin K helps the blood to clot when a person is bleeding. Not enough is known about vitamin E to make positive claims on mega doses, or extremely high doses of the vitamin. The question is if mega doses of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, can decrease the risk for chronic diseases. More research is needed.

Vitamin E Foods

Vitamin E is found in the fatty parts of foods. The best sources of vitamin E are unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils. These include

• Sunflower, safflower, canola, olive, and wheat germ oils.
• Avocados, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, and whole grain, or unrefined, products.
• Green leafy vegetables have smaller amounts.
• Soybean oil has a form of vitamin E that has little influence on health. This oil is not a good source of vitamin E. Soybean oil is the most common oil used in products like salad dressing and mayonnaise.

Heating oils to high temperatures, such as in frying, can destroy vitamin E. Storage and freezing foods for a long time can also destroy vitamin E.

Vitamin E is found in the germ of a seed or grain. Most of the nutrients are concentrated there. Whole-wheat flour contains much of the original germ, so it has vitamin E. Refined flour, or white flour, has been stripped of many of its nutrients, including vitamin E.

To maximize vitamin E intake, healthy vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and unrefined whole-grain products should be a regular part of the diet.

Vitamin E Deficiency

Severe vitamin E deficiency is rare. Conditions where it may occur include people who don’t absorb fat normally, premature infants, people with red blood cell disorders, and people on kidney dialysis. Symptoms of vitamin E deficiency include nerve damage and anemia in infants.

Health Benefits of Vitamin E

There are several health benefits of Vitamin-E for the body. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant and could play a role in preventing a range of diseases. It’s also considered important for maintaining healthy, youthful skin. Some preliminary studies involving intakes of Vitamin E higher than the daily-recommended requirement have shown that Vitamin-E may be useful in treating or possibly preventing:

• Menstrual Pain
• Low Sperm Count
• Inflammation of Eye Tissues
• Cataracts
• Restless Leg Syndrome or Relief From Muscle Cramping
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Asthma
• Diabetes related complications and maybe helpful in treating and preventing diabetes itself
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Prostate Cancer And Breast Cancer

Benefits of Vitamin E also include helping the body increase and regulate the levels of vitamin a in the body and as a general immune system booster, especially in older adults. Topical Vitamin-E might also promote good blood circulation and prevent the formation of blood clots, especially in people with diabetes. The problem is that although it is agreed that Vitamin E is a very useful and essential vitamin for humans (especially for its antioxidant activity), many of the stated benefits of vitamin e are anecdotal. There are few in depth studies available to verify some of the benefits of vitamin e claims that are being made. However, there are numerous informal reports of individuals insisting significant health benefits with increased levels of Vitamin-E. Further scientific study will help to target specifically whether Vitamin E truly does play a role in treating or preventing the conditions mentioned above.