Vitamin E is a health-improving vitamin that prevents diseases, which is found in many foods, such as almonds, leafy greens, sunflower seeds, eggs, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil and rice bran oil. Studies show that the benefits of vitamin E include strengthening the heart, helping to prevent eye disease, improving immune function and improving muscle health.
The top three antioxidant vitamins include vitamin E, C and A. "Antioxidant" is a nutrient that counteracts and neutralizes the harmful effects of oxygen in the body. These "oxidative" effects contribute to aging and disease, and are caused by an unhealthy diet, air pollution, smoking, alcohol consumption, as well as normal digestion and metabolism.
Vitamin E is a key player in the fight for a healthy heart. A study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that men who consumed more vitamin E had a lower risk of heart disease. This benefit accounted for 60-100 international units (IU) per day, although the number often used for the prevention of diseases is 400 IU per day.
The health of red blood cells is vital because they carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. In a study published in the journal Nutrition Research, red blood cell decay was reduced by 38% in adults, which took 300 mg of vitamin E daily for four months. Significantly increased levels of vitamin E in the blood, and cellular oxygen stress was reduced by 47%.
The University of Hong Kong conducted a study on how vitamin E benefits the immune system, which showed that there is a specific requirement for vitamin E in immune cells. It has been demonstrated that vitamin A enhances immunization and promotes the development of immune cells. Another aspect of Vitamin E is that it can prevent or slow down prostate cancer in men, according to the book Vitamin E: New Research.
It is not surprising that vitamin E is vital for healthy muscles and improves the ability to exercise, because the heart is, in fact, muscle tissue and vitamin E is known to strengthen it. A study from the Medical College in Georgia found that exercise causes muscle cells to burn much more oxygen than usual, causing “oxidative” stress in the muscles. Their conclusion was that vitamin E is necessary for the rapid recovery of muscle cell membranes, and also helps prevent muscle wasting diseases.
Vitamin E products such as nuts, leafy greens, sunflower seeds, eggs, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil, and rice bran oil are great ways to get more out of it, and vitamin E supplements are also good for general health.
