VITAMIN E.............?


Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that it is dissolved in fat. Vitamin E attaches to fat. This is how it is carried through the body. This is one reason why moderate amounts of fat are needed in the diet. The body can store fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin E has strong antioxidant properties. The vitamin may protect against heart disease and cancer. Its protective role has been widely studied. Vitamin E is part of a group of substances called tocopherols. Each group has different potencies.

What food source is the nutrient found in?
Vitamin E is found in the fatty parts of foods. The best sources of vitamin E are unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils. These include
sunflower, safflower, canola, olive, and wheat germ oils.
avocados, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, and whole grain, or unrefined, products.
Green leafy vegetables have smaller amounts.
Soybean oil has a form of vitamin E that has little influence on health. This oil is not a good source of vitamin E. Soybean oil is the most common oil used in products like salad dressing and mayonnaise.
Heating oils to high temperatures, such as in frying, can destroy vitamin E. Storage and freezing foods for a long time can also destroy vitamin E.

mtw56x - vitamin E

Vitamin E is found in the germ of a seed or grain. Most of the nutrients are concentrated there. Whole-wheat flour contains much of the original germ, so it has vitamin E. Refined flour, or white flour, has been stripped of many of its nutrients, including vitamin E.

How does the nutrient affect the body?
Vitamin E is an important antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from oxidation. Oxidation can lead to cell damage. Cell damage can lead to chronic health problems, such as heart disease and cancer. Vitamin E works closely with other antioxidants, like vitamin C and selenium, to help protect the body. Vitamin E improves the way the body uses vitamin A. It may help protect against ion the toxic effects of some metals, such as lead.

Information
The recommended dietary allowances, or RDAs, for vitamin E were recently changed. They were increased to provide maximum health benefits. Levels were raised from 10 milligrams (mg) daily to 15 mg daily for adult men and women. Pregnancy increases the recommendations slightly. It is difficult to get enough vitamin E from food alone. To get the full benefit of vitamin E, a supplement is recommended. The government estimates that 68 percent of men and 71 percent of women do not get enough vitamin E daily.

An upper level, based only on intake from vitamin supplements has been set at 1,000 mg of alpha-tocopherol. This is the most potent form of vitamin E. The upper level is not the recommended amount to take. The upper level is the maximum intake of a vitamin or mineral that is likely to cause no health risks. People should not routinely go above the set upper levels for vitamins and minerals. Taking too much vitamin E puts people at risk for prolonged bleeding time. This is because large doses can interfere with vitamin K. Vitamin K helps the blood to clot when a person is bleeding. Not enough is known about vitamin E to make positive claims on mega doses, or extremely high doses of the vitamin. The question is if mega doses of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, can decrease the risk for chronic diseases. More research is needed.

Severe vitamin E deficiency is rare. Conditions where it may occur include people who don't absorb fat normally, premature infants, people with red blood cell disorders, and people on kidney dialysis. Symptoms of vitamin E deficiency include nerve damage and anemia in infants.

To maximize vitamin E intake, healthy vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and unrefined whole-grain products should be a regular part of the diet.






Vitamin E: What is it?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that exists in eight different forms. Each form has its own biological activity, which is the measure of potency or functional use in the body [1]. Alpha-tocopherol (á-tocopherol) is the name of the most active form of vitamin E in humans. It is also a powerful biological antioxidant [2-3]. Vitamin E in supplements is usually sold as alpha-tocopheryl acetate, a form of alpha-tocopherol that protects its ability to function as an antioxidant. The synthetic form is labeled "D, L" while the natural form is labeled "D". The synthetic form is only half as active as the natural form [4].

Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of energy metabolism. Free radicals can damage cells and may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Studies are underway to determine whether vitamin E, through its ability to limit production of free radicals, might help prevent or delay the development of those chronic diseases. Vitamin E has also been shown to play a role in immune function, in DNA repair, and other metabolic processes [2-3].


What foods provide vitamin E?
Vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals are common food sources of vitamin E in the United States (U.S.). Table 1, Selected Food Sources of Vitamin E, suggests many food sources of vitamin E [4]. Food values are listed in the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E.

Table 1: Selected Food Sources of Vitamin E [4] FOODMilligrams (mg)
Alpha-tocopherol
per servingPercent
DV*
Wheat germ oil, 1 tablespoon20.3100
Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce7.440
Sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted, 1 ounce6.030
Sunflower oil, over 60% linoleic, 1 tablespoon5.630
Safflower oil, over 70% oleic, 1 tablespoon4.625
Hazelnuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce4.320
Peanut butter, smooth style, vitamin and mineral fortified, 2 Tablespoons4.220
Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 oz2.210
Corn oil (salad or vegetable oil), 1 tablespoon1.910
Spinach, frozen, chopped, boiled, ½ cup1.66
Broccoli, frozen, chopped, boiled, ½ cup1.26
Soybean oil, 1 tablespoon1.36
Kiwi, 1 medium fruit without skin1.16
Mango, raw, without refuse, ½ cup sliced0.96
Spinach, raw, 1 cup0.64
*DV = Daily Value. DVs are reference numbers developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help consumers determine if a food contains a lot or a little of a specific nutrient. The DV for vitamin E is 30 International Units (or about 20 mg alpha-tocopherol). Most food labels do not list a food's vitamin E content. The percent DV (%DV) listed on the table indicates the percentage of the DV provided in one serving. A food providing 5% of the DV or less is a low source while a food that provides 10-19% of the DV is a good source. A food that provides 20% or more of the DV is high in that nutrient. It is important to remember that foods that provide lower percentages of the DV also contribute to a healthful diet. For foods not listed in this table, please refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database Web site: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.


What is the recommended intake for vitamin E?
Recommendations for vitamin E are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes developed by the Institute of Medicine [5]. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing nutrient intake for healthy people. Three important types of reference values included in the DRIs are Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Adequate Intakes (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL). The RDA recommends the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals in each age and gender group [5]. An AI is set when there is insufficient scientific data available to establish a RDA. AIs meet or exceed the amount needed to maintain a nutritional state of adequacy in nearly all members of a specific age and gender group. The UL, on the other hand, is the maximum daily intake unlikely to result in adverse health effects [5].

In Table 2, RDAs for vitamin E are based only on the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E [5]. Table 2 also lists RDAs for vitamin E in International Units (IU) because food and most supplement labels list vitamin E content in International Units (1 mg alpha-tocopherol vitamin E = 1.49 IU).

Table 2: Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vitamin E for Children and Adults [5]
Age
(years)Children
(mg/day)Men
(mg/day)Women
(mg/day)Pregnancy
(mg/day)Lactation
(mg/day)
1-36 mg
(=9 IU)
4-87 mg
(=10.5 IU)
9-1311 mg
(=16.5 IU)11 mg
(=16.5 IU)15 mg
(=22.5 IU)19 mg
(=28.5 IU)
14 +15 mg
(=22.5 IU)15 mg
(=22.5 IU)15 mg
(=22.5 IU)19 mg
(=28.5 IU)

There is insufficient scientific data on vitamin E to establish an RDA for infants. An Adequate Intake (AI) has been established that is based on the amount of vitamin E consumed by healthy infants who are fed breast milk. Table 2 lists the adequate intakes for vitamin E for infants in mg alpha-tocopherol and IUs (1 mg alpha-tocopherol = 1.49 IU) [5].

Table 3: Adequate Intake for Vitamin E for Infants [5]
Age
(months)Males and Females
(mg/day)
0 to 64 mg
(=6 IU)
7 to 125 mg
(=7.5 IU)



Who is at risk for vitamin E deficiency?
Vitamin E deficiency is rare in humans. There are three specific situations when a vitamin E deficiency is likely to occur.

persons 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 [8];
individuals with rare genetic abnormalities in the alpha-tocopherol transfer protein are at risk of vitamin E deficiency [9]; 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 [3,10].
Blood levels of vitamin E may also be decreased with zinc deficiency [11]. Vitamin E deficiency is usually characterized by neurological problems associated with nerve degeneration in hands and feet [5]. These symptoms are also associated with other medical conditions. A physician can determine if they are the result of a vitamin E deficiency or are from another cause.