Benefits of vitamin e

Page Content Introduction to benefits of vitamin E Benefits of vitamin E Food sources Recommended amounts Too much vitamin E

Introduction

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Vitamin E is a fat soluble nutrient, like vitamin C it acts like an antioxidant, protecting our cells against damage caused by free radicals.

Benefits of vitamin E

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Vitamin E helps stop blood clotting by widening the blood vessels. The cells also uses it to help them interact and carry out other important functions like boosting the immune system.

Additionally it plays a part in our neurological functions as well as protecting our lipids.

Food sources

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Vegetable oils are the best form of vitamin E followed by nuts and green vegetables. The table below shows the food sources for vitamin E and the serving amount and the percentage that serving gives of the recommended daily amount.

Food	serving	%RDA
Wheat germ oil	1 tablespoon	135.3
Dried almonds	1 ounce	44.8
Dried hazelnuts	1 ounce	44.6
Sunflower oil	1 tablespoon	40.6
Sweet potato	1 medium	39.5
Almond oil	1 tablespoon	35.3
Cottenseed oil	1 tablespoon	32
Safflower oil	1 tablespoon	30.6

Am I getting enough vitamin E

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Deficiency is usually connected to diseases where fat fails to be absorbed or digested in the right manner, cystic fibrosis for example.

Deficiency can cause muscle and nerve damage which in turn cause vision problems, loss of feeling in the legs and arms, losing control of your body movement and a weak immune system.

Recommended amounts

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Teenagers 14–18 years 15mg Teenage girls 14-18 65 mg Adults 15mg pregnant teens and women 15 mg pregnant teens and women 19mg

Groups at risk

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• Some groups are at risk of not getting enough vitamin E
• Premature babies who are below the normal weight
• peopl who have fat-malabsorption disorders
• people with abetalipoproteinemia.
• People who have cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, or do not have the ability to secrete bile from their liver into their digestive tract.

Too much vitamin E

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Too much vitamin E can increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke, it might also increase the risk of prostate cancer.

The ultimate risk is of death with some people who have chronic health conditions. The limit for vitamin E in it's natural form is 1500 IU/day for the synthetic form it's 1,000 IU.

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