Vitamin E Facts: Source, Deficiency, And Importance Of Vitamin E Intake

Most people know about vitamin E as a magical potion in skincare, but it is one of the crucial nutrients that your body craves.

Among the broad spectrum of vitamins that our body needs, vitamin E is an essential micro-nutrient that you need every single day. Its rich antioxidizing properties help combat fatigue and fight free radicals responsible for oxidative damage.

Oxidative damage is mainly responsible for most of the chronic fatal diseases that we are facing today. From cancer to diabetes to heart strokes, oxidative damage is to blame. Hence, it is very important to ensure vitamin E intake for the body to function normally.

Further, vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that aids several vital body functions. Taking vitamin E further supports your immune system and protects your eye health. Though only a couple of molecular structures of this vitamin E are actually utilized by the body, it is important to include healthy sources of vitamin E so as to maintain overall health.

Once you learn about vitamin E here do check out other articles on vitamin D facts and vitamin C facts here at Kidadl.

Vitamin E Classification

Vitamin E deficiency and body functions can be better understood when you know about the classification of this nutrient. Based on the chemical composition or the molecular structure this vitamin is broadly classified into two categories: tocopherol and tocotrienol. And each of these categories is further divided into alpha, beta, gamma, and delta variants. This makes a total of eight different types of vitamin E variants.

Natural vitamin E has all eight different molecular variations. But the body only processes and utilizes the essential forms and eliminates the others in the process of digestion. This essential molecular form is alpha-tocopherol. Anyone who is prescribed vitamin E supplementation might be consuming an artificially synthesized form of alpha-tocopherol in dietary supplements instead of the combination of eight as in the natural state.

Vitamin E Food Sources

There are several common food items that contain vitamin E. Including them in your everyday diet ensures that your daily requirements of this vitamin are met. FDA recommends 0.0005 oz. (14.2 mg) a day of vitamin E to be included in a balanced diet. This would prevent the need for the use of vitamin E supplements.

Almonds: These are popular sources of the wide spectrum of vitamin E. Almonds offer numerous health benefits. Soak them in water and peel them before you eat them.

Sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds are loaded with high doses of this essential vitamin. These seeds are also rich in dietary fiber making them beneficial for digestive health. They make wonderful garnishing options for salads and can be consumed as snacks as well.

Avocados: High doses of vitamin E along with a punch of potassium make it a healthy snack. Avocado spreads can also be used to add a twist to your morning toast.

Peanuts: Rich in protein, these nuts are also great sources of vitamin E. Natural, unsweetened peanut butter, and roasted unflavored peanuts are wonderful options.

Spinach: This leafy green contains high doses of vitamin E. Health experts recommend adding a bowl of this green veggie to your diet every day.

Vegetable oils: Several types of vegetable oils like olive oil are rich in vitamin E. Using this oil in cooking lowers the risks of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin E Functions In The Body

The antioxidant nature of these fat-soluble compounds is something that most people know about. But there are numerous other benefits it offers.

Vitamin E aids in eliminating the risk of oxidative stress. The reduction in levels of natural antioxidants in the body is known to be a critical risk factor for the increase in free radicals. Free radicals are the reactive oxygen molecules in the body and they should be within the required levels. An increase in free radicals results in the loss of proteins and attacks the fatty tissue in the body. This is also one of the main causes of premature aging. Alpha and gamma-tocopherol are the main types of vitamin E molecules involved in this process. They eliminate the excess free radicals and also prevent the synthesis of new free radicals. The main use of vitamin E in the body is to ensure that the free radical levels are always within control.

Taking Vitamin E can strengthen your nails. It helps in increasing the cell stability and this helps in stronger nails. So, if you are complaining about broken nails, then eat your greens and nuts more.

It protects you from sickness. Vitamin E enhances your natural immunity and thus helps fight against infections and diseases. The ability of this vitamin to lower oxidative stress is one main reason why it helps in improving immunity.

Vitamin E in diet or in dietary supplements can help improve eye health. People with eye diseases like cataracts might also benefit from it. This vitamin prevents eye diseases from worsening.

One of the main benefits of vitamin E is that it reduces cardiovascular disease risks. Most heart diseases are due to high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Vitamin E helps in keeping cholesterol levels in the blood within control and thus prevent heart disease. Randomized controlled trials of increased vitamin E in patients with cardiovascular diseases indicated that it helped reduce myocardial infarction.

For the treatment of some health conditions like nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, synthetic vitamin E supplements are often recommended. Taking vitamin E supplements along with a healthy diet improves the effectiveness of the treatment.

The use of vitamin E supplements also lowers breast cancer risks in women. Supplemental vitamin E might be recommended for women who are in the high-risk groups. It helps in maintaining healthy hair growth and can therefore be used along with a hair fall resolution routine. Healthy intakes of vitamin E can also prevent skin darkening due to various causes, especially sun damage.

Symptoms Of Vitamin E Deficiency

How much vitamin E does your body need per day? On average, most healthy adults require 0.0005 oz. (14.2 mg) of vitamin E on a daily basis. Pregnant women need a high dose of vitamin E, of about 0.0006 oz. (17 mg) per day. If the cumulative dietary intake of vitamin E meets this requirement, you would not need any additional dietary supplements.

Some people do not get enough vitamin E in their diet. In some cases, illnesses like Crohn’s disease can also lead to lower levels of vitamin E in the body. No matter what the cause is, deficiency of this vitamin would lead to one or more of the following symptoms.

Vitamin E deficiency in old age might lead to immune system-related issues. Without getting the essential doses of vitamin E elderly adults might be more prone to pathogenic infections. They might be put on antioxidant supplements to lower these risks.

Though there is no direct connection between Alzheimer’s disease and vitamin E, high dose vitamin E consumption is known to delay the onset of this condition in those in the high-risk group. People with Alzheimer’s also benefit from increasing the doses of vitamin E as this can lower the damage caused.

Low doses of vitamin E in the body can result in muscle weakness due to oxidative stress. It could occur as a minor feeling of weakness or some might also experience something more severe like difficulties in walking. Some might notice milder symptoms like a tingling sensation in the muscles. Vitamin E deficiency leads to an increased risk of central nervous system-related conditions.

Some suffer from poor vision or vision-related problems due to vitamin E deficiency. This is because this micronutrient plays a critical role in the health of visual receptors crucial for good vision.

To prevent increased risk of oxidative stress and the many hazardous symptoms associated with it, keep a tab on the dietary vitamin E levels or include dietary supplements as recommended. This will result in better skin and nail health as well as a stronger immune system. These benefits of vitamin E are applicable to people of all age groups including kids. Remember that increased intakes of vitamin E can sometimes interfere with medications involved in correcting platelet disorders. Always consult with your doctor before including any dietary supplements.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for vitamin E facts: source, deficiency, and importance of vitamin E intake then why not take a look at why do cats bite when you pet them? kitty facts all owners should know or why do cats drool? Curious facts on cat drooling revealed for kids!