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By
Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Rachael Droege
Vitamin E is one of the few supplements that most everyone* would
benefit from, and while I don’t recommend many supplements,
I have believed in the benefits of vitamin E for over 30 years and
have been taking it for many of those years. In addition to its
powerful antioxidant properties, vitamin E:
However, controversies have surrounded vitamin E ever since its
discovery in 1922 and there is still much discussion over what type
of vitamin E is best. Dietary vitamin E is found in certain nuts
and green leafy vegetables, but many Americans do not consume vitamin
E -- adequate diets.
Because of this, I believe that, ideally, vitamin E should be consumed
in the broader family of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols. Vitamin
E is comprised of two groups of molecules, tocopherols and tocotrienols,
each with four forms (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol,
and alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delat-tocotrienol). Each form has
its own potency and functional use in the body.
Research is beginning to focus on specific tocopherols and tocotrienols,
rather than on just "vitamin E," and studies are emerging
that suggest tocotrienols, found in palm, rice bran and barley oils,
could be the most important part of vitamin E, and a form of vitamin
E called full-spectrum vitamin E, which contains a mixture of tocopherols
(alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) and tocotrienols (alpha, beta, delta,
and gamma), may be needed to protect against disease and provide
maximum benefits.
Nonetheless, the vitamin E most often referred to and sold in most
stores is a synthetic form called dl-alpha-tocopherol, and I DO
NOT recommend synthetic vitamin E.
One of the major benefits of Living Fuel Omega 3 & E is that
the vitamin E protects the omega-3 from oxidizing once it’s
inside your body. Omega-3 is a delicate fat that combines with oxygen
and breaks down in your body. The antioxidant properties of vitamin
E interfere with that break down process, thereby protecting the
body from potential lipid peroxidation.
Who Needs Vitamin E?
I do believe that most people would benefit from adding extra vitamin
E to their diets. Beyond this, certain circumstances may increase
your need for vitamin E even more. If you are following a low-fat
diet, it’s important to realize that vitamin E is a fat-soluble
vitamin--if you don’t eat fat, it will be hard for your body
to absorb the vitamin into your bloodstream.
Vitamin E can be depleted not only by following a low-fat diet,
but also by taking the following drugs:
- Cholestyramine Resin (Questran)
- Colestipol (Colestid)
- Isoniazid
- Mineral oil
If you fall into one of these categories, it is especially important
that you get enough vitamin E. Protein metabolic
types, who are typically fast oxidizers, also seem to require
larger amounts of vitamin E than most. You can find a basic test
to determine your own nutritional type in my
new book.
The optimum dose of vitamin E you should take varies widely, from
100 to 800 units per day,
depending on your nutritional type, so I urge you to find out your
type for best results when using vitamin E.
Vitamin E is particularly helpful if you are a protein Metabolic
type. The ideal form of vitamin E is a full-spectrum variety
including both tocotrienols and tocopherols. So I suggest you consider
using a vitamin E supplement that combines both of these products.
I have yet to do a comprehensive analysis of the different products
out there but the product I personally use is Living
Fuel's new Omega 3 and E, which are capsules containing natural
full-spectrum vitamin E with tocotrienols and tocopherols, along
with pure, high-quality fish oil to give you the essential
omega-3 that most Americans are severely lacking.
*CAUTION:
Vitamin E should not be given to certain brain damaged children,
such as those with some types of autism. In these cases, accumulations
of long chain fats require oxidation to remove them and this will
be impaired by vitamin E, making the chronic disease worse.
Related Articles:
What are Tocotrienols,
and Why do You Need Them?
If You’re Taking Fish
Oil, Fat-Soluble Antioxidants are Crucial
Vitamin E-Who Are You Going
to Believe?
Vitamin E is NOT Good for
Everyone
Get Your Vitamins From
Foods Not Supplements
Does Vitamin E Protect Against
Heart Disease or Not?
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