Hey there, viewers! You may have heard about vitamin E and its amazing benefits
for your health, skin, hair, and nails. In fact,
so many cosmetics and skincare products come infused with vitamin E. It’s very tempting to
start with vitamin E supplements to boost your health. But do you really need them?
In today’s video, we’re going to talk about vitamin E. Whether you
really need the supplements, or just making changes to your diet is enough.
What are the benefits of vitamin E? Can this vitamin really reduce
your risk of a heart attack? We’ll be talking about all of these AND more…
There’s one simple fact you need to know. You’ll
be surprised to learn vitamin E isn’t one single compound.
It’s a group of eight fat-soluble compounds with strong antioxidant effects on your body.
But not all of these eight compounds meet the dietary requirements of humans.
Alpha-tocopherol (tuh-cough-er-all) is the one that does it best. You can easily get vitamin E
from natural foods and dietary supplements. But do you really need the supplements?
Vitamin E deficiency is more common in developing countries.
While in developed countries, it’s usually caused by an absorption disorder. There are
also cases of infants being born with vitamin E deficiency. Supplements help in these cases.
As long as you’re eating a healthy well-balanced diet,
you don’t need vitamin E supplements. If you’re not sure about vitamin E in your diet,
look out for signs of a deficiency. Wondering what those are? There are quite a few to identify…
Signs of vitamin E deficiency
Muscle weakness can be a tell-tale sign of vitamin E deficiency.
Wait, how is vitamin E related to your muscles? Well, this particular vitamin
is very important for your central nervous system. When you’re deficient in this vitamin,
your body experiences oxidative stress. And this oxidative stress can lead to muscle weakness.
Want to know more? Here’s what scientific research has found out about vitamin E
and its importance in muscle building.
If you’re having difficulties walking and coordinating your body movements,
you’ve got to visit an expert. It could be a problem with your nervous system,
but it can also be due to vitamin E deficiency. This deficiency can cause
certain neurons in your body to break down. This harms their ability to transmit signals.
Do you get odd numbing and tingling sensations in your hands, feet, and other parts of your body?
Vitamin E deficiency can lead to damage of nerve fibers. This prevents your nerves from
transmitting messages correctly. As a result, you get those odd sensations.
Vitamin E deficiency can also lead to deterioration in your vision!
This one is pretty surprising since we’ve always associated vitamin A with eye health.
Vitamin E comes as a surprise package. But the truth is vitamin E deficiency can
weaken light receptors in your retina. This leads to vision problems in the long run.
If you’re older, you may be at risk of immune system problems due to vitamin E deficiency.
Experts say that lack of vitamin E in your body
can stop your immune system from functioning properly.
Now that you know about vitamin E deficiency, it only makes sense we talk about what causes it.
Well, first things first, vitamin E deficiency runs in families.
If your parents had it, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to have it as well.
Two chronic diseases can be inherited and result in extremely low levels of vitamin E. There are
two chronic diseases that are often inherited and result in extremely low levels of vitamin
E. These diseases are familial isolated vitamin E deficiency and congenital abetalipoproteinemia
(a-ba-tah-lip-o-pro-te-ne-me-ah). I know, quite a mouthful there!
You can also have a deficiency due to diseases that impact the absorption of fat in your body.
But why’s that? Well, your body needs fat to absorb vitamin E correctly.
It’s a fat-soluble vitamin! Some of these diseases are celiac disease,
cholestatic liver disease, cystic fibrosis, and chronic pancreatitis.
Let’s learn more about the unique benefits of vitamin E.
Vitamin E is excellent for your cardiovascular health. Don’t believe us?
Here’s what a study has found. But how does vitamin E help with your heart’s health?
To understand, we need to first know what the triggers for cardiovascular health
issues are. High blood pressure, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and high triglycerides increase
your risk of getting heart disease. Vitamin E helps reduce these heart disease risks.
Researchers have done a review of around 18 diseases and found that vitamin E helped
significantly reduce blood pressure. Taking vitamin E with omega 3 supplements is even
better for your health, as it reduces both LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in
your body. This combination is especially helpful for people with metabolic syndrome.
Vitamin E benefits aren’t limited to just your heart. It’s excellent for your liver as well.
This is especially true for people struggling with nonalcoholic fatty
liver disease. Wondering what this is?
Well, this disease causes an accumulation of fat in the liver for people who drink little
to no alcohol. Research suggests vitamin E can play a significant role in this aspect.
Researchers reviewed more than 8 studies to find out if this was true.
Results were nothing less than astonishing. It was reported
that vitamin E supplements helped decrease blood lipid levels and improve liver health.
The study also found vitamin E supplements reduced elevated levels of two particular liver
enzymes that cause liver inflammation. But wait, there’s more to vitamin E!
This wonderful vitamin has an antioxidative effect on your body.
Confused about how this is important for your health? Well, let me explain.
Your body undergoes a lot! Exposure to the sun, pollution, and various biological processes
create compounds called reactive oxygen species (ROS). Antioxidants fight these compounds to
protect you from cellular damage and several other chronic diseases that would otherwise hurt you.
When there’s an imbalance between these antioxidants and ROS compounds,
your body undergoes oxidative stress. Experts say vitamin E supplements significantly
help reduce these ROS compounds, boosting your antioxidant levels.
A 2018 study revealed the fantastic effects of taking vitamin E.
During this study, participants, who had kidney damage due to high blood sugar,
were given vitamin E supplements of 800 IU per day for 12 weeks. It was found that there was a
significant increase in the levels of glutathione (glue-tuh-thigh-own) peroxidase (GPx). It’s a
group of antioxidant enzymes responsible for protecting you from cellular damage.
So far, we’ve learned that vitamin E protects your body from cellular damage,
helps keep your heart healthy, and decreases inflammation in your liver.
What else can this magic vitamin do? Turns out a lot!
Don’t forget vitamin E is like a magic potion for your skin and hair! In fact, vitamin E supplements
can be very helpful in dealing with skin disorders like eczema. Using vitamin E enriched serums,
creams, and lotions can definitely help keep your skin supple, young, and healthy.
This vitamin is also super good for your cognitive
health. Researchers have found vitamin E to be helpful in protecting against
cognitive decline. This is why it’s particularly good for older adults.
It improves your immunity, provides relief from inflammation, and boosts your brain health,
all of which make it a must-have vitamin for older
adults. It can also improve lung function and alleviate certain symptoms of asthma.
Vitamin E is certainly good for you, but that doesn’t mean you take endless
supplements. We talked about vitamin E deficiency and how common it is a
few minutes ago. But how much vitamin E do you really need on a daily basis?
The amount depends on your age. Adults, pregnant women, and teenagers need about 15 milligrams
every day. Breastfeeding women need a little more than that. Around 19 to 20 milligrams.
Not a fan of supplements? Well, why should you be when there are so many
vitamin E-rich foods available. Seafood like salmon and abalone are filled with
vitamin E. You can also eat more green veggies like broccoli and spinach.
Nuts and seeds like sunflower and hazelnuts are also good sources
of vitamin E. Cooking your food in vegetable oils like sunflower and
safflower oil can help as they have a good amount of vitamin E to offer.
If nothing else seems appealing, you can go for commercially processed foods with vitamin E.
These days, there are cereals and juices in stores that have a good amount to offer.
Vitamin E is essential for your health, but so are other vitamins and minerals. You need to make sure
you’re getting an equal amount. Did this video spark your interest? Let’s keep the conversation
going with a couple more vitamin-related videos, shall we?. Here’s what you need to know…
Check out The Ultimate Guide To Every Vitamin Your Body Is Starving For.
You should also try 12 Mineral-Rich Foods You Should Eat Regularly.
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about nutrition
and health. Do you watch your vitamin E intake? Are you planning on eating more
Vitamin E-rich foods after watching this video? Let us know in the comments below!