Vitamin E - Vitamins

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a co-factor in many enzymes that promote normal growth and development, including the formation of red blood cells. Along with vitamin C, it helps prevent the corrosive oxidation of free radicals in the body.

Natural sources of vitamin E include wheat germ, liver, sunflower seeds, whole grains, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, butter, eggs, turnip greens, asparagus, spinach, peas, peanuts, cashews, soy lecithin, and vegetable oils. Salad oils, margarine, and shortening provide about 64% of vitamin E in the average U.S. diet, fruits and vegetables about 11%, and grains and grain products about 7%.

A diet high in polyunsaturated fats is a major cause of vitamin E deficiency. In How To Live Longer and Feel Better , Pauling suggests that “a diet high in unsaturated fatty oils, especially the polyunsaturated ones, can destroy the body's deposits of vitamin E, and cause muscular lesions, brain lesions, and degeneration of blood vessels. Care must be taken not include a large amount of polyunsaturated oil in the diet without a corresponding intake of vitamin E.”

Vitamin E and Alzheimer's Disease.     Patients with Alzheimer's disease have been found to have high levels of two enzymes linked to damage of nerve cells, and vitamins A, E, and betacarotene may slow down the disease's progression. Researchers at Central Middlesex Hospital in London measured serum levels of vitamins A and E and four major carotenoids (any of various yellow to red pigments found in foods) in 10 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 10 with dementia, and 20 control elderly individuals. Plasma concentrations of vitamin E and betacarotene were significantly lower in patients with Alzheimer's and dementia than in the control group. Since vitamins A and E and carotenoids act as free radical scavengers, their deficiency may accelerate the degenerative processes in the brain that cause Alzheimer's disease, according to an article in the June 1992 Nutrition Research Newsletter .

Vitamin E and Angina.     A study conducted in Edinburgh, Scotland, tested the hypothesis that low plasma concentrations of vitamin E may be related to the risk of angina. Plasma concentrations of vitamins A, C, E, and betacarotene were measured in 6,000 Edinburgh men aged 35–55. Plasma concentrations of vitamins C, E, and carotene were inversely related to the risk of angina, while vitamin A showed no relationship. The researchers emphasized that their findings, obtained in a population with a high heart disease risk and low intakes of fruit and green vegetables, may not apply to other communities but their evidence strongly suggests that populations with a high incidence of coronary heart disease may benefit from eating diets rich in natural antioxidants, particularly vitamin E. The study was reported by R.A. Riemersma and others in the January 5, 1991, issue of Lancet .

Vitamin E and Bypass Heart Surgery.     Vitamin E may prevent the formation of free radicals during the final phase of bypass surgery–an operation to improve blood flow to the heart. Free radicals often form while surgeons briefly flood the heart with richly oxygenated blood, but until recently surgeons had no way of shielding the heart from this process. Dr. Terrence Yau of the University of Toronto reported that presurgical supplementation with vitamin E improved the heart's ability to pump during the risky five-hour postoperative period. He and his colleagues gave 14 patients 300 mg of highly purified vitamin E daily for two weeks prior to their bypass operations, and achieved successful, though preliminary, results, according to an article by Kathy A. Fackelmann in Science News of November 24, 1990.

Vitamin E and Cancer.     Several studies conducted in Finland found that, on average, patients who developed cancers had less vitamin E in their bloodstreams than did healthy patients. The Finnish studies of 21,172 men and 15,093 women preliminarily support the premise that higher vitamin E levels in the blood help reduce the risk of cancer, according to an article in the June 1992 Nutrition Research Newsletter .

A 1992 National Cancer Institute study involving more than 1,100 patients found that, while several supplements appeared to lessen the risk of oral cancers, only vitamin E cut the risk in half. The study, reported in the July 6, 1992, Cancer Weekly , confirmed that vitamin E helped protect the fatty acids in cell membranes against free radicals.

Vitamin E and Cardiovascular Disease.     Vitamin E helps prevent cardiovascular ailments including blood clots, protects against cell damage by oxidation, and guards lungs against air pollutants such as ozone, nitrous oxide, and cigarette smoke. Approximately 80 studies have found that children of smokers are more prone to bronchitis, pneumonia, hospitalizations, and missed school days. When they are given a daily intake of at least 5,000–10,000 IU of vitamin A, along with 400–800 IU of vitamin E, their lungs and mucous membranes were less prone to damage, reports S. Langer in the September 1990 issue of Better Nutrition .

It is now widely accepted that vitamin E keeps the blood free-flowing without causing profuse bleeding by exerting a powerful anticlotting effect in veins and arteries. A study described by Frank Murray in the August 1990 Better Nutrition showed that 1,476 patients with general arteriosclerosis (thickening of the lining of the arteries, which limits blood flow) who were given vitamin E for 10 years had a significantly higher survival rate than patients who had not taken this vitamin. Dr. Gnut Haeger, a prominent Swedish surgeon, has successfully used high doses of vitamin E to treat elderly patients with poor blood circulation in the legs, according to the same article.

Vitamin E and Chemotherapy.     Patients receiving chemotherapy often develop ulcers in the mouth or other parts of the digestive tract. In a controlled trial of 18 cancer patients reported in Alternative Medcine: What Works , six out of nine patients receiving vitamin E oil experienced reversal of their ulcers within five days, compared to only one out of nine subjects receiving a placebo.

Vitamin E and Epilepsy.     Preliminary evidence suggests that vitamin E may be helpful in preventing epileptic seizures. Using controlled dosages of vitamin E, doctors at the University of Toronto reduced the frequency of seizures by more than 60% in 10 of 12 children who took 400 IU daily for three months in addition to their regular medication. When children taking a placebo were switched to vitamin E, seizure frequency was reduced 70–100%. A 1989 report in Epilepsia states that no adverse side effects were noted. Because the results are based on only one study, however, additional research is needed to confirm whether vitamin E supplements can help reduce or prevent epileptic seizures.

Vitamin E and Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD).     According to a 1991 World Health Organization (WHO) study, low blood levels of vitamin E are the most important risk factor in deaths from IHD. IHD is known to occur when blood circulation to the heart is inadequate, usually because of coronary artery damage, resulting in pains or spasms. While not conclusive, this study tentatively suggests that vitamin E may play a protective role against IHD.

The WHO study also showed that vitamin E blood levels were more significant in predicting death than high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, or smoking. The study involved 40 men aged 40–49 from 16 European cities; some of the men were smokers. Low blood levels of vitamin E were linked with death in 62% of the cases. The highest death rate occurred when patients had a combination of low vitamin E, low vitamin A, high total cholesterol, and high blood pressure, as reported by J. de Keyser in the June 27, 1991, issue of Lancet .

Two major studies conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, and reported in the November 19, 1992, New York Times , concluded that taking daily doses of vitamin E may cut the risk of heart disease by one-third to one-half. The studies lend further support to the theory that vitamins and other substances that retard oxidation are good for the heart. In the first study, 87,245 female nurses in the U.S. were surveyed, 17% of whom took vitamin E. After eight years of follow-up, the researchers found that nurses who had taken vitamin E for at least two years had a 46% lower risk of heart disease than those who did not take the supplement. The other study surveyed 51,529 male health professionals. A 37% lower risk of heart disease was reported among the men who took regular vitamin E supplements. Both studies concluded that the amount of vitamin E in vitamin-rich food such as lettuce was not sufficient to produce the benefit. That occurred only when people took at least 100 IU of vitamin E daily, the amount in a single vitamin supplement.

Vitamin E and Longevity.     As discussed earlier, free radicals contribute to the gradual development of chronic diseases, such as hardening of the arteries, cancer, cataracts, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, and other complications of aging. Vitamin E is now believed to reduce the damage caused by free radicals and to help prevent or delay the onset of these diseases, thereby potentially increasing life span.

Langer's article in Better Nutrition also quotes Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging: “If we really want to increase our life span, we need to decrease our caloric intake, add vitamin E, vitamin C and betacarotene supplements to our diet, and pay closer attention to the protein, fatty-acid composition and trace mineral content of our diet. As to the ideal vitamin E intake, I would suggest 100, 200, or 300 mg. daily.”

Blumberg adds: “Traditionally it was accepted that a decline in various body systems, such as heart, lung and immune functions, was a natural part of aging. But new evidence leads us to believe that the rate of decline may be governed more by environmental factors, that is, nutrition and lifestyle, than by aging per se. Age-related losses in lean body mass and bone, as well as increases in fat, may be slowed or even reversed, regardless of a person's age.”

Murray also describes a study of the nutritional status of more than 1,000 volunteers by Dr. Judith Hallfrisch, principal investigator for the Gerontology Nutrition Study at the National Institute on Aging. Hallfrisch found that even those volunteers who ate healthy foods “had inadequate intakes of vitamins E and B ₆ , magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium.” Along with adequate intake of vitamin E and other nutrients, Hallfrisch believes that healthy, low-stress lifestyles will eventually lead to longer lifespans. “For those committed to extending their life span and remaining in relatively good health,” she concludes, “an adequate intake of such antioxidants as vitamin E, vitamin C, and betacarotene is essential.”

Vitamin E supplements may also prevent the breakdown of the immune system in older people, thereby decreasing the likelihood of infectious disease and tumors. The antioxidant defense system remains strong in most people throughout youth and the middle years, but the body's ability to produce antibodies decreases with aging. Additional research is required to determine if people who take vitamin E supplements develop more antibodies.

Vitamin E and Ozone Protection.     Vitamin E may also protect humans against the dangerous effects of ozone, which causes a stiffening and accelerated aging of lung tissue. In preliminary studies, vitamin E has been shown to protect humans against the effects of ozone in smog. According to the research, described by W. Pryor in the March 1991 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , ozone interacts with polyunsaturated fatty acids to form free radicals, and vitamin E apparently delays this reaction.

Vitamin E and Parkinson's Disease.     Parkinson's disease is a progressive disease of the brain that results in tremor, joint rigidity, muscle weakness, and slow movement. As the disease progresses, higher brain functioning is disabled and motor control deteriorates. It is believed to be caused by the pathological destruction of specific cells in the basal ganglia of the brain, particularly in the substantia nigra. These cells are responsible for a particular neurotransmitter, dopamine, which in turn controls communication between cells.

Currently, patients with Parkinson's disease are treated with levodopa and other compounds related to dopamine. Unfortunately, levodopa has severe side effects and many physicians prescribe it only as a last resort. According to a report in the November 16, 1989, New England Journal of Medicine , one form of vitamin E, tocopherol, seems to postpone the disability of Parkinson's disease, thereby delaying the need for treatment with levodopa. Results are preliminary, however, and more research is needed to determine if tocopherol is effective as a long-term therapy.

Vitamin E and Rheumatoid Arthritis.     Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have derived significant relief from inflammatory pain when given fish oil rich in vitamin E. In one European study, described by Jacob E. Tulleken, Pieter C. Limberg, and Martin van Rijswijk in their 1990 book, Arthritis and Rheumatism , RA patients who received fish oil for three months suffered substantially less joint inflammation. The results suggest, however, that this effect may have been more related to fatty acid consumption than vitamin E intake, although vitamin E probably enhances the effects of the fish oil.

Vitamins, like minerals, herbs, and food supplements, are medicines, and people need to be aware of their effects and the minimum and maximum amounts recommended for optimal health. A balanced, natural diet of healthy foods normally provides an adequate supply of the daily recommended dose of vitamins. Not everyone, however, receives the RDA for each vitamin, and a number of diseases are associated with vitamin deficiencies. For this reason, people diagnosed with any of these diseases (or having symptoms associated with them), or who think their diet is not nutritionally adequate, should consult a physician to determine if vitamin supplements are advisable.