Facts About Vitamins

Vitamin E

Vitamin E in common with other vitamins has a variety of functions and uses within the body and is essential for health. It plays a vital role in preventing heart disease and can even halt its progress and prevent it from getting any worse once it exists. Plenty of vitamin E is therefore crucial for a healthy heart.

 

Vitamin E also plays a critical role in the body’s cell membranes protecting them from damage from any free radicals that may be present. Without it’s and other vitamins presence in cell membranes, they would be damaged far more frequently leading to serious health problems such as cancer. The reason vitamin E is effective in protecting cell membranes from free radical is the fact that it is fat soluble and so can be absorbed into the membrane. These abilities make vitamin an essential component of the immune system.

 

The amount of vitamin E you need to consume daily is known as your recommended daily allowance and depends upon your body weight. This is because the more fat you eat in you diet the more vitamin E you will need. The foods that contain a worthwhile amount of vitamin E are vegetable oils, seeds, wheat germ and nuts. Most of which feature low on the majority of people diets and why vitamin E supplements are so popular and should be taken by most people.

 

The signs of vitamin E deficiency are slow to appear and do not affect health immediately. It can take months or even years for the effects of a deficiency to become noticeable. After a long period of Vitamin E deficiency there may be noticeable impairment and damage to the nerves of the spinal column and the retina of the eye, though this rarely happens. Most people gain all the vitamin E required through their normal diet but it is important to combine with fat to aid with absorption.

 

Medical conditions such as Crohn’s disease may lead to vitamin E deficiency and require the taking of vitamin E supplements on a regular basis. Cystic fibrosis leads to poor absorption of fat and consequently also vitamin E. Crohn’s disease and some forms of liver disease also lead to impaired absorption and in both cases taking extra vitamin E supplements ensure that there is enough in the diet so that the necessary amount can be absorbed. Fat is necessary for the absorption of vitamin E so those on low fat diets may also need to consider vitamin E supplements.