5 Powerful Benefits of Vitamin E

Category: Healthy Nutrition

If you've been trying to live a healthier life, you've probably come across the words "free radicals" and "antioxidants".

In layman's terms, free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and aging, while antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against free radicals.

Vitamin E is a family of fat-soluble compounds with distinctive antioxidant activities.

The form that is actively used and managed in the body is called alpha-tocopherol. It's also the most common and potent form of the vitamin.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin E for people over age 14 is 15 milligrams (22.4 IU).

Women who are breastfeeding may need a little more, so the RDA for lactating women is 19 mg (28.4 IU). Doses below 1,000 mg (1,500 IU) are safe for most adults.

Good Sources of Vitamin E

While severe vitamin E deficiency rarely occurs in humans, most of us don't get enough of it
in our diets.

As a result, you may become more prone to infections, experience impaired eyesight, or suffer from muscle weakness.

Potential Benefits of Vitamin E

1. Slows cognitive decline
Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are thought to contribute to the onset and/or progression of several neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Due to its antioxidant properties, the ability of vitamin E to prevent or delay cognitive decline has been tested in clinical trials in both ageing population and AD patients.

As is commonly seen in supplementation studies, the benefits were most noticeable in subjects with low vitamin E status prior to supplementation.

2. Helps prevent cardiovascular diseases
Vitamin E protects proteins, lipids (fats and oils) and DNA from oxidative damage—and not just in
our bodies.

According to Dr. Bruce Daggy, many of the food sources listed above are rich in unsaturated fats, and the vitamin E that's naturally present in them helps protect those fats from going rancid. Food manufacturers sometimes add vitamin E to processed foods for the same reason.

Results of several large observational studies in both men and women have suggested an inverse relationship between vitamin E consumption and risk of myocardial infarction or death from
heart disease.

3. Protects eyesight
A 2015 study by the Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics of the Qingdao University Medical College found that vitamin E intake and high serum-tocopherol levels were linked to a decreased risk of age-related cataracts.

People with age-related macular degeneration may also experience a delay in the progression of the disease with antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplementation.

4. Strengthens immune system
The natural age-related decline of the immune function is accompanied by an increased susceptibility to infections, a poorer response to immunization, and higher risks of developing cancers and autoimmune diseases.

Alpha tocopherol has been shown to enhance the T cell-mediated immune response that declines with advancing age.

5. Keeps skin healthy
Subjects orally co-supplemented with vitamins C and E show increased Minimal Erythemal Dose (MED), a measure of photoprotection from ultraviolet (UV) light in skin.

The combination of the two vitamins was also associated with lower amounts of DNA damage after UV exposure.

Several of the studies listed above tested supplementation of vitamin E at levels above the RDA. It's quite possible that your diet is not providing optimal levels, in which case, you can choose to take supplements to fill the nutritional gap.

Shaklee's Vita-E is an excellent option because it contains the natural d-alpha form, which is much more potent than synthetic vitamin E. It also contains selenium, which provides enhanced support against free radicals.

You can read about the Vita-E in-depth in this wellness article.

You can also watch this video from Dr. Richard Brouse to learn more:
Power of Shaklee Vita-E

Here's to your health!

Nancy