In daily life, we often hear people mention vitamin E
In daily life, we often hear people mention vitamin E.
Vitamin E, also known as vitamin E or tocopherol, is an important member of the vitamin family and an important nutrient for vision, fertility, blood pressure, brain and skin health.
What are the sources of vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and one of the essential trace elements for the human body.
In our bodies, vitamin E can act as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.
Where do free radicals come from? On the one hand, when the food we eat is digested and absorbed and converted into energy, some compounds with free radicals are formed; On the other hand, we are also exposed to some free radicals in the environment, including smoke from cigarettes, air pollution and free radicals produced by ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
In addition, the body also needs to consume vitamin E to strengthen the immune system to fight off invading bacteria and viruses. It also helps dilate blood vessels and prevents blood from clotting inside them. In addition, interactions between cells and many important functions also require the use of vitamin E.
Vitamin E is found naturally in a variety of foods, and some fortified foods may also be fortified with vitamin E. Vitamin E rich foods are as follows:
Vegetable oils such as wheat germ oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil are all important sources of vitamin E. Olive oil, corn oil, and soybean oil also provide a certain amount of vitamin E. Nuts (such as peanuts, hazelnuts, and especially almonds) and seeds (such as sunflower seeds) are also great sources of vitamin E. Green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. Meat, dairy products and fortified cereals. In addition, vitamin E may also be added to some nutritious breakfast cereals, fruit juices, margarine and spread sauces, and other processed foods (as indicated by the ingredient list on the product label).
Who is prone to vitamin E deficiency? What harm can be done?
In general, vitamin E deficiency is rare in healthy people, and most people get enough vitamin E from the foods they eat.
Because vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, it can be well dissolved in fat, so it is more conducive to digestion and absorption at the same time as some oily foods.
Because of this, some diseases with poor fat digestion or malabsorption often lead to vitamin E deficiency, such as Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, and certain rare genetic disorders [such as beta-lipoproteinemia and ataxia with selective vitamin E deficiency (AVED)].
In addition, newborns (especially premature babies), pregnant and nursing women, and infants may be more susceptible to vitamin E deficiency.
Vitamin E deficiency can cause nerve and muscle damage, which can cause loss of sensation in the arms and legs, loss of body movement control, muscle weakness, and vision problems. In addition, vitamin E deficiency may also lead to a weakened immune system. What health problems can vitamin E improve?
Current research has found that vitamin E may have some benefits for certain diseases.
- Improve hair loss
In 2022, JAMA Dermatology published a review of the effectiveness and safety of nutritional supplements in the treatment of hair loss. The authors suggest that people with partial hair loss may benefit from a variety of nutrients, including antioxidants in micronutrients.
Oxidative stress is considered to be an important pathogenesis of alopecia areata, androgenic alopecia and alopecia resti. Common antioxidants such as selenium, carotenoids, vitamins A, C, and E are often added to nutritional supplements, but excessive supplementation of antioxidants can also cause hair loss. The study showed that 35 alopecia patients who took tocotrienol (derived from vitamin E) had significantly increased hair volume at the eighth month of follow-up.
The authors also recommend that patients should fully communicate with their dermatologist to understand the risks and benefits before planning to consume/take nutritional supplements.
Vitamin E may also provide relief for hair loss caused by dieting, and in 2024, according to the results of a small clinical study published in the journal Cell, humans may have inhibited hair growth due to intermittent fasting. But if you take some antioxidant strategies, such as topical vitamin E, you can stop the hair growth inhibition caused by fasting.
- Associated with a reduced risk of death from bladder cancer
A previous study found an association between using vitamin E supplements for 10 years or more and a reduced risk of death from bladder cancer.
However, it is important to note that for cancer patients undergoing treatment, vitamin E dietary supplements and other antioxidants may interact with chemotherapy and radiation. Patients receiving these therapies should always consult an oncologist in advance before taking vitamin E or other antioxidant supplements, especially in high doses, and take the medication as directed.
- It is expected to slow the rate of vision loss from eye diseases
Age-related macular degeneration, or loss of central vision, and cataracts are the most common causes of vision loss in older adults. Research has been inconsistent on whether vitamin E helps prevent these diseases, but studies have found that for people at high risk for advanced age-related macular degeneration, supplements containing large amounts of vitamin E, along with other antioxidants, zinc and copper, are expected to slow the rate of vision loss.
- Helps slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease
Some studies suggest that for people diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, vitamin E therapy may help slow disease progression.
What should I pay attention to when taking vitamin E safely?
- Use medication sparingly
It should be emphasized that ordinary adults do not need to eat nutritional supplements, and vitamin E supplementation needs to be cautious. According to the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2022, taking beta-carotene or vitamin E is not recommended to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Beta-carotene may increase the risk of lung cancer in high-risk populations (smoking or occupational exposure to asbestos), while vitamin E has no net clinical benefit in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality.
- Know the safe dosage to avoid side effects
When taking vitamin E supplements, be sure to take them correctly according to the instructions. In appropriate doses, oral vitamin E is safe (see below for appropriate daily intakes for different populations). But if not taken properly, it can also cause problems such as dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and intestinal cramps.
In addition, because vitamin E is fat-soluble and easily accumulates in the body, long-term use of higher doses of vitamin E may increase the risk of side effects; For people in poor health, it may even increase the risk of death.
Studies have shown that long-term oral vitamin E may increase the risk of prostate cancer. Other studies suggest that taking vitamin E may increase the risk of death in people with a history of serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke.
https://www.gremountint.com/vitamin-e-is-a-fat-soluble-nutrient/
https://www.gremountint.com/ascorbic-acid-is-also-known-as-vitamin-c/