Vitamin E

Vitamin E plays an important role in immunity: It is an important antioxidant that helps protect your cells from damage. Additionally, it has important antibacterial and antiviral properties., skin, the brain, and helps to regulate blood clotting.

USES:

Respiratory: Asthma, respiratory infections, allergies

Eyes: Macular degeneration, may help prevent cataracts, helps maintain eyesight

Gastrointestinal: Liver disease, peptic ulcers

Cardiovascular: May help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, promotes circulation,  decreases plaque build up in vessels

Genitourinary: May help support kidney function; supports reproduction (supports uterine lining and egg attachment)

Musculoskeletal: Movement disorders, physical performance in the elderly, rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Skin: May slow aging skin process, helps prevent sunburn, scars from wound healing (topical), helps maintain healthy skin

Male/Female: PMS, Dysmenorrhea (painful periods), infertility, impotence

Immunity: Strengthens immunity

Cancer: May help prevent certain cancers

Neurologic: Because vitamin E protects nerve cells (neurons) from damage it protects and promote "brain health"and helps support neurologic disorders like dementias; may specifically decrease risk of Alzheimers (1) Parkinsons, Restless leg syndrome (RLS), Huntington's, epilepsy, and chronic fatigue syndrome. It also promotes neuroplasticity - or the way your brain responds to various things. May promote neuroplasticity in mental health maintenance.

Other: May prevent progressive damage in cystic fibrosis, anemia, beta-thalessemia, increases absorption of vitamin A, and helps prevent blood clot formation. As an antioxidant, vitamin E helps prevent cellular damage - particularly that of aging.

Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin E Excess: Probably the most important of excess vitamin E  effects is bleeding and easy bruising as vitamin E decreases clotting of the blood. Nausea, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, weakness, and double vision might also occur. Two notable changes in lab work may occur: Prolonged PT and aPTT (blood clotting indices) and may cause creatinuria (an increase of creatinine - a kidney function measure). Excess vitamin E is stored in the body - little is excreted in the body. So you can presumaby store too much and suffer from side effects.

Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin E Deficiency: Vitamin E deficiency is fairly rare. In this case, a person might develop numbness of the extremities, poor coordination and balance, weakness, inner eye changes leading to vision problems, decreased immunity, hemolytic anemia, among others.

Causes of vitamin E Deficiency: Problems with gastrointestinal absorption: Gastric bypass surgery, and Crohn's disease, celiac disease, those who cannot absorb fats (fat absorption is needed to absorb vitamin E), as well as cystic fibrosis and liver disease.

Sources of Vitamin E:

Foods that provide Vitamin E:

• Vegetable oils like olive oil, sunflower, peanut and safflower oils are some of the best sources of vitamin E (corn and soybean oils also provide some but less vitamin E).

• Nuts  and seeds like almonds, pine nuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds

• Wheat germ

• Green vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli, provide some vitamin E.

• Food companies add vitamin E to some breakfast cereals, fruit juices, margarines and spreads, and other foods. To find out which ones have vitamin E, check the product labels, Plant/peanut/corn and vegetable oils, olive oil, cereals, meat, poultry, eggs, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and wheat germ/wheat germ oil,

FORMS: Oils, softgels, powders, liquid

DOSAGE: Normal supplementation 15 mg by mouth daily