Vitamins E
Vitamin E, a fat-soluble
Vitamin, exists in eight different forms. Each
form has its own measure of potency, biological
activity, or functional use in the body.
Alpha-tocopherol
is known to be the most active form of Vitamin
E in humans, and is a powerful biological antioxidant.
Being
an antioxidant Vitamin, Vitamin E protects
your cells against the effects of free
radicals, which are potentially damaging
by-products of energy metabolism.
It also
prevents breakdown of body tissues and
protects Vitamin A and essential fatty
acids from oxidation in the body cells.
This nutrition Vitamin has also been shown
to play a role in immune function, in DNA
repair, and other metabolic processes.
The
best way to get an adequate amount of Vitamin
E is eating a variety of whole food Vitamin such
asvegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables,
and fortified cereals.
A lot of food manufacturers
fortify foods with Vitamins and minerals.
So it is important to read the nutrition facts panel
of the food label to determine whether a food provides
Vitamin E as well as other Vitamins and minerals.
People on low-fat diets can have trouble getting
enough of the Vitamin since Vitamin E is a fat-soluble
Vitamin.
So it is important that dietary fat should
be monitored and not reach below safe limits.
Healthy
individuals who eat a balanced diet of health food
Vitamin rarely need Vitamin supplements.
Vitamin E, a health Vitamin, can be lost from
foods during cooking, processing, or storage.
To retain Vitamin E it is best to use whole-grain
flours, store foods in airtight containers and
avoid exposing them to light.
Vitamin E deficiency can be seen in people who
cannot absorb dietary fat due to an inability
to secrete
Bile or with rare disorders of fat
metabolism are at risk of Vitamin E deficiency;
individuals with rare genetic abnormalities in
the alpha-tocopherol
Transfer protein are at risk
of Vitamin E deficiency; and premature, very low
Birth weight infants (birth weights less than
1500 grams, or 3 pounds, 4 ounces) are at risk
of Vitamin E deficiency.
Early sign of deficiency is the rupturing of the
red blood cells. Other symptoms include swelling
of the cardiac muscle which can become necrotic,
retarded growth in children, faulty absorption
of fat and fat-soluble Vitamins and lack of sex
drive.