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vitamin e heart health, vitamin e energy, vitamin e natural versus synthetic, vitamin e parkinsons, vitamin e osygen, vitamin e cramps, vitamin e with food, vitamin e composition, vitamin e lungs, vitamin lady writes about vitamin e
VITAMIN E: -
THE ANTIOXIDANT SERIES by Lynn Hinderliter CN, LDN
The part of the vitamin E considered most active is D alpha
tocopherol, (sometimes spelt tocopheryl), and since Vitamin E can be quite
expensive, here is a way to tell what you are buying - bear in mind that
synthetic Vitamin E can have as little as half the activity in the body!
It is legal for a supplement manufacturer to
label their product "natural Vitamin E", and have as little
as 10% of the natural and 90% synthetic. Make sure, therefore, that
the label reads "contains only 100% natural vitamin E as
d-alpha tocopherol", or wording very similar to that.
Dl -Tocopheryl (or -ol) is the synthetic form, and a Nov. 98
review of more than 30 published studies determined that natural Vitamin E is
superior to synthetic. Dr. Acuff, PhD, who led the study, reported "
not only is there a chemical difference in the structure of the molecules, but
research shows a significant difference in how people assimilate and retain
natural and synthetic E" (Vitamin Retailer Jan 99 p.20)
This debate has, to my mind, been put to rest now
in 2000 with a report released by the National Academy of Sciences,
which recognizes that natural vitamin E is twice as potent as synthetic.
Synthetic E, which is almost always manufactured from a
petrochemical base, contains some molecules which the body does not recognize as
vitamin E - I have to wonder what it DOES recognize them as, and what their
ultimate fate is!
What is an anti-oxidant? If we think of stress and aging as
causing our bodies to rust, then anti-oxidants are the substances that protect
us against this process. Many scientists believe that rust-causing oxidative
free radicals, and the damage they cause, contribute to the chronic diseases of
aging, and to the eventual death of the cells, the basic units of our body.
Two of the basic functions of Vitamin E are to improve oxygen
transport, and protect cells from damage from rancid fats. You will sometimes
see it used, in fact , as an additive to other oils to keep them from going
rancid. These very important functions account for the fact that vitamin E
deficiencies are implicated in a number of health conditions, from the biggies
like cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy and rheumatoid
arthritis, to more minor problems like leg cramps, and fibrocystic breast
disease .
The major food sources of vitamin E do not figure very high on
the list of most American's daily foods: they are cold-pressed vegetable oils,
particularly wheat germ oil and soy oil, raw or sprouted seeds, nuts and grains
(especially wheat), fresh wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, eggs and legumes.
However, even large amounts of these foods provide minimal amounts of vitamin E,
in the 15 to 20 i.u. range, and this can be put in perspective when you realize
that the most conservative recent study to show a heart protective effect from
Vitamin E used 100 i.u per day, and that some experts are now mentioning daily
doses of 400 to 1200 i.u., depending on the severity of the problem being
addressed.
Bear in mind that
recent studies show pretty conclusively that Vitamin E taken on an empty
stomach is not well absorbed: it is best taken with starchy
foods.
For example, a University of Texas Med. Center study looked at
reducing the risk of premature hardening of the arteries in diabetics: this was
an eight week randomized study using 28 patients and a daily dose of 1200 i.u.
At the end of this study, those who had received the E had significant
reductions of oxidized LDL (the bad cholesterol) which the scientists consider
to play a part in the development of atherosclerosis. They concluded that the
healthy heart benefits of Vitamin E can be extended to patients with diabetes.
The CHAOS (Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study) in England set
out to test whether patients who already suffered from heart disease would
benefit from E supplementation. They followed 2002 high risk patients for 18
months, during which time they all took their regular medication, but half the
group took either 400 or 800 i.u of E, the other half a placebo. At the end of
the study, those patients who had received the vitamin E had only one fourth the
number of non-fatal heart attacks of the placebo group, and in fact the
researchers considered them at no greater risk from heart disease than people
who had never had a history of heart problems!
A recent study seems to suggest the Vitamin E has no benefit
for heart problems; it is getting Man Bites Dog status: it is
news only because it goes against the findings of every other study done.
I shall be watching with interest to see what transpires as experts analyze this
study!
The latest news about Vitamin E, is, of course, the study that
purports to show that people using Vitamin E have a higher risk of mortality. As
usual, the media in their rush to sensationalize rather than report, failed to
check with other authorities to see how valid the study might be.
The
Linus Pauling comments on the study. (http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminE/index.html#mortality)
Here is the commentary from the NNFA, the
National Nutritional Foods Association:
Vitamin E Study Questioned by NNFA
Despite the literally thousands of studies
on vitamin E, many confirming its positive effects on
cardiovascular health and other conditions, an article
published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine that
studied just a handful suggests that “high-dose” vitamin E
(400 international units (IU) or more) is associated with a
greater risk of dying.
Although the researchers themselves
acknowledged the limitations of their study when applied to
most healthy people, they have nevertheless called for a
reduction in U.S. dietary guidelines for vitamin E, which
currently recommend an upper limit of 1,500 IU.
The research, which analyzed clinical trial
data from 19 studies, focused on nine that involved dosages of
vitamin E over 400 IU. Most of the patients in the studies
were over 60-years of age and had chronic health conditions,
such as heart disease and Alzheimer's. The reported increased
risk of deaths associated with higher doses of vitamin E was
only slightly higher than the risk among those not taking the
supplement. The studies reviewed, some of which were more than
10 years old, were of varying quality and contained a wide
range of dosages.
“This is arm chair science at its
worst,” said David Seckman, NNFA's executive director and
CEO. “Researchers are well aware that casting doubt on any
product that has had overwhelmingly positive findings is a
formula for getting noticed. Unfortunately, many in the press
are all too willing to lend credence to research that is not
conclusive.”
For more information on vitamin E, including
its health benefits, clinical applications and other
science-based findings, go to: www.supplementinfo.org
In a November 11th posting from the Council for
Responsible Nutrition: “-- A researcher
disputes a study about the possible heart risks posed by vitamin
E, one of the most popular antioxidant vitamins. Dr. Jeffrey
Blumberg said Thursday, the day after the release of a Johns
Hopkins vitamin E study, that the Hopkins research looked at
people already at high risk of death and that can't be used to
determine what's good for healthy people. The Hopkins study
found that people taking high doses of vitamin E actually had an
overall death rate up to 6 percent higher than those not taking
the vitamin.
"These investigators selected 19 specific studies to
analyze. In doing so, they also selected not to employ a vast number of
studies that show no harm from vitamin E and a great deal of
benefit," said Blumberg, who is the associate director of Tufts
University's Human
Nutrition Research Center on Aging. (http://www.hnrc.tufts.edu/)
It is not mentioned in any of these commentaries that some of
the studies were based on the use of Multivitamins containing E, and probably
utilized synthetic E. The Alliance for Natural Health, a British lobbying
organization, said in a press release, "The authors of the study make no
mention of the good body of evidence that shows that synthetic forms of vitamin
E, or purified natural forms that are limited to a-tocopherol, have the ability
to reduce the body's absorption of other forms of vitamin E, which are much more
powerful antioxidants."
I do feel that it would be wise for current smokers to
limit their use of Vitamin E; there are now several studies
suggesting that it may be deleterious under those conditions.
Other health conditions that have been linked to vitamin E
deficiencies are: gallstones, anemia, some cancers, acne, Lou Gehrig's disease,
Alzheimer's disease, cataracts and viral infections. There is also evidence to
suggest that pre-eclampsia of pregnancy is linked to Vitamin E deficiency, and
can be helped by raising levels of E. Some of the wonderful things vitamin E
appears to do for us: protect the lungs against pollutants, increase energy,
fight aging by protecting the cells, prevent scar formation , help ensure a
healthy pregnancy, and accelerate the healing of burns. No wonder health
professionals, to include most medical Doctors, have taken vitamin E for years;
it has no known adverse effects (although it should be started gradually in
cases of high blood pressure) and many, many benefits .
Combined with some other basic nutrients such as B1, B2,
Selenium etc, Vitamin E has the strange property of lowering C Reactive Protein
(a marker of inflammti0on and accepted indicator of future heart problems) in
women, but not in men. The German study (Eur J Clin Nutr, 2007 Feb 21)stated
"After adjusting for confounders, vitamin E intake was associated with a
43% reduced risk for elevated CRP levels (> 3.0 mg/l) in women."
Vitamin E is actually made up of 8 tocopherols, named after
the first 8 letters of the Greek alphabet and there are those who prefer to use
a Vitamin E which has all of them present, usually labeled "mixed
tocopherols". Much research is now being focused on new cousins of
Vitamin E called tocotrienols, of which 4 have been isolated, called alpha,
beta, gamma & delta -also after letters of the Greek alphabet. The most
common sources of tocopherols are corn, soy and olive oils, and the tocotrienols
are found predominantly in rice, barley and palm oils. Incidentally, the
"tri" is pronounced as in tricycle.
Much of the research on tocotrienols has focused on their
antioxidant abilities in their capacity as cholesterol lowerers. In one double
blind cross-over study, serum concentrations of cholesterol decreased by an
astonishing 31% in some of the study subjects in the short period of four weeks.
Many of the major medications used to control cholesterol work by suppressing
the liver's ability to manufacture the substance, and therefore some of their
most serious side-effects are connected with damage to the liver. It appears
that the pathway by which tocotrienols control cholesterol has to do with
suppressing an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, and therefore they also suppress
the liver's cholesterol manufacturing rate, but fortunately without any of the
accompanying side effects. In line with its ability to minimize a risk factor
for heart disease, there is also some work that shows tocotrienols decrease the
possibility of stroke by having an effect on thromboxane levels in the blood: a
lowering in humans of from 20 to 26% was demonstrated, and also a decrease in
platelet aggregation. Tocotrienols are very successful at moderating existing
high levels of cholesterol, according to some practitioners who use it to rid
the body of circulating high levels, then add Red Yeast extracts to ensure
continued low levels.
Other studies have suggested a protective effect against
atherosclerosis by virtue of tocotrienols' antioxidant properties: damage from
free radicals in the walls of the arteries is the end stage of the disease. A
study at the Kenneth L. Jordan Heart Fund in 1993 showed that tocotrienols
significantly decreased plasma cholesterol, LDLs and VLDLs - all the baddies, in
fact.
The November 1999 issue of the Clin. Exp. Hypertension
published the results of an animal study that found a 3 month period of
supplementing with tocotrienols effective not only in reducing lipid peroxides
in the plasma and blood vessels, but also in reducing blood pressure.
One reason they may be so effective is that tocotrienols have
the capability of penetrating lipid membranes, which means they can operate
effectively in organs with fatty layers, like the brain and the liver. In fact,
some research being done on the role of tocotrienols in liver and breast cancer
suggests a highly protective role for it, even to the extent of limiting the
damage where a chemical agent was introduced in test animals to bring about a
cancer. Part of a molecule's antioxidant function is to prevent damage to DNA,
and protect against cellular damage.
Some anti-tumor effect has been shown in tocotrienols, they
appear to slow the growth of breast cancer (Vit. Ret Mar 99 32-33) in laboratory
and animal tests, an effect attributed to their ability to regulate cell growth.
Another study showed possible benefits for the treatment of liver cancer. Research
done in Austin, Texas (Nutrition & Cancer 1999;33:26-32) showed
that tocotrienols induce apoptosis, a fancy word for programmed cell death, and
an important factor in limiting the deadly explosive growth of cancer cells.
Both tocopherols and tocotrienols have important roles to
play in protecting our health, and those of us who are taking one might also be
considering the benefits of adding the other: it is obvious they both play a
significant part in disease prevention.
Keywords:
vitamin e heart health, vitamin e energy. vitamin e natural versus
synthetic, vitamin e parkinsons, vitamin e osygen, vitamin e cramps,
vitamin e with food, vitamin e composition, vitamin e lungs, the vitamin
lady writes about vitamin e importance health
Vitamin
E best absorbed when taken with food. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040116073557.htm)
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