All About Vitamin E

You know that vitamins and minerals are essential to your overall health and well-being, but which vitamins and how much of each should you be getting? And can you have too much of a good thing?

For instance . . . do you get enough Vitamin E in your diet? Are you “E-ting” enough of the foods containing this “E-essential” vitamin? Or are you unintentionally “E-liminating” them from your daily intake?

Sorry . . . I’ll stop with the play on words now so we can get down to business and take a look at the ever-important Vitamin E.

Vitamin E Basics
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant found in green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils, nuts and fortified breads and cereals. There are actually eight different types of vitamin E that serve different, specific biological functions, but it is the form Alpha-tocopherol (α-tocopherol) that is most active in the human body.

Vitamin E Benefits
Vitamin E’s antioxidant properties help the body fend off the ravages of free radicals, the energy by-products that harm cells and contribute to the development of disease, including heart disease and various forms of cancer.  It also plays an essential part in repairing the structure of DNA, maintaining the functions of the immune system, and regulating metabolism.

The taking of vitamin E supplements has been linked to a lower incidence of cataract development and a decreased risk of heart attacks and heart attack-related deaths—in a study out of Cambridge University, Vitamin E reduced the risk of both fatal and non-fatal heart attacks by 47 percent and non-fatal heart attacks by 77 percent. New research is also showing that Vitamin E may play a role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

How much Vitamin E should you get?
The recommended daily allowance of vitamin in adults is 15 milligrams (22.5 international units) a day for men and women. Women who are breastfeeding should get a little bit more, about 19 milligrams (28.5 international units). One avocado, for examples contains 4 percent of the Daily Value of vitamin E, and a tablespoon of olive oil has about 8 percent.

An estimated 75 percent of American adults fail to meet their minimal daily requirement of Vitamin E. For people who are unable to get enough in their diet, vitamin E supplements can help fill the void.

While it’s extremely rare to develop a vitamin E deficiency, malnourished individuals, babies with very low birth weights and people with fat metabolism or gastrointestinal disorders (such as Chron’s disease and cystic fibrosis) are at risk.

Can you get too much vitamin E?
If you take large doses of Vitamin E, or have taken Vitamin E for a prolonged period of time, you may experience certain side effects such as fatigue, weakness, headache, nausea, blurred vision, flatulence, or diarrhea. Also, if you’re allergic to Vitamin E, you may have a reaction of difficulty breathing, closing of your throat, swelling of your lips, tongue, or face, or hives. Allergic reactions are rare, however, so don’t let that possibility stop you from adding Vitamin E to your daily nutritional regimen.

So now you know! It’s “E-asy” to get enough of this E-ssential vitamin – and without too much effort! Follow the above advice and you’ll be “E-ting” better before you know it!