The Vitamin Addict

You have probably also heard about Vitamin E but this is another nutrient that many people do not understand. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is considered to be a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that they are stored in the fatty tissues found in the body. An antioxidant protects cells from the effect that free radicals can have on them. A free radical is the by-product of energy created by the metabolism and they can damage healthy cells in the body. They have been associated with cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Studies have also shown that vitamin E can help your immune system and aid in metabolic processes such as DNA repair.

Vitamin E is described as having eight different forms of antioxidants and each one has its own special function. There are four tocopherols called alpha, beta, gamma and delta. The next four are tocotrienols which are also called alpha, beta, gamma and delta. The most active form of vitamin E is the Alpha-tocopherol. It is considered to be a powerful biological antioxidant and is believed to help prevent cataracts from appearing.

If you are concerned with your weight and watching your fat intake don’t completely rule out foods that contain fat. You need to include sources of healthy fat in your diet to ensure that you receive the right amount of vitamin E needed to stay healthy.

Foods That Provide Vitamin E

There are synthetic forms of vitamin E but, they only provide about half the benefits as the natural forms do. You can receive natural forms of this vitamin from many different types of common everyday foods. 

Natural forms of vitamin E can be found in foods such as the ones listed below:

• Green leafy vegetables
• Nuts
• Vegetable oils
• Fortified cereals
• Sunflower seeds
• Peanut butter
• Corn oil
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Mango
• Soybean oil
• Kiwi
• Tomatoes
• Carrots

You can take supplements to receive vitamin E but it is best if you can get this vitamin from natural food sources. You may want to get part of your Vitamin E naturally and the rest from supplements to add up to your total recommended daily intake.  

Vitamin E Deficiency

What happens if your body does not get enough Vitamin E? Vitamin E deficiency is not very common but there are certain situations that can cause a person to have a deficiency of vitamin E. One situation would be when a baby is born prematurely with a very low birth weight. People that suffer from rare genetic abnormalities that leave them with an inability to secrete bile and people that cannot absorb dietary fat due to disorders of fat metabolism may also have a vitamin E deficiency.

Some creams and lotions are made with vitamin E as one of their ingredients because, it is believed that vitamin E can reduce scaring and aid in the healing process. Vitamin E is very important and should be a part of your diet. If you do not eat foods that contain this vitamin then you should consider taking a supplement.