Vitamin E: Benefits, Disadvantages, Supplements, and How to Get It in Your Diet

When browsing the skin care aisle at the drugstore, you’ve probably noticed that vitamin E is included in many products. When applied topically, vitamin E can help protect your skin from UV damage. However, you also need vitamin E in your diet as it is essential to human development and functioning. The vitamin includes eight compounds, but only one of them is used in the human body – alpha-tocopherol.

The benefits and drawbacks of vitamin E have been debated for many years. So what do you need to know? We did the research. Here are the pros and cons.

What is Vitamin E?

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble nutrient found in many foods and is important to the human body in a variety of ways. Vitamin E, in the form of alpha-tocopherol, is a powerful antioxidant which works as a free radical fighting machine.

Although it is possible to meet daily vitamin E needs through food, oral and topical supplements are also available. However, supplements should be used with caution, as directed and after consulting a physician.

Adding vitamin E to your diet

Nuts, seeds and vegetable oils top the list the best sourcesbut vitamin E can be found in many foods. Here are some excellent and varied food solutions to boost vitamin E.

• Asparagus
• avocado
• Cooked or raw spinach
• Dry roasted sunflower seeds
• Dry roasted almonds
• Dry roasted hazelnuts
• Kiwis
• Mango
• peanut butter
• pumpkin
• Red pepper
• Tomato

Vitamin E benefits

Vitamin E has been touted as offering many benefits to the human body. Some of these are inconclusive in terms of showing true benefit in research. Here are some scientifically proven benefits of vitamin E.

1. It can lower blood pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Some research have shown that vitamin E supplementation can help lower blood pressure, although the results are not as favorable for those with severe high blood pressure.

Although results are mixed on the link between vitamin E supplementation and cardiovascular disease, a study that followed 40,000 healthy women for 10 years found that those who took vitamin E supplements had a 24% lower risk of death from heart disease. The results were not as positive for those at high risk or who already had heart disease.

2. Fights free radicals

It is known that vitamin E fight against free radicals and protects cells from their damage; fewer free radicals can mean several good things for the human body.

Cell damage due to free radicals increases the risk of various health problems such as cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases, cataracts and cancer. Antioxidants that fight free radicals, such as vitamin E, also fight these chronic conditions.

Bonus? Vitamin E’s contribution to reducing free radicals also reduces skin damage from UV exposure. Less skin damage means a more youthful glow, and who doesn’t want that?

Its anti-inflammatory effects also help reduce the symptoms of chronic inflammatory skin conditions such as dermatitis.

3. May improve PMS symptoms

All around 80% to 90% of women experience to some extent premenstrual syndrome during their reproductive years. For some, PMS is painful and disruptive to daily life. Vitamin E can bring some relief if you are one of the 80% to 90%.

Studies show that supplementing vitamin E with vitamin D can be an effective way to reduce PMS symptoms such as cramps, anxiety and hunger.

Disadvantages of vitamin E supplements

As with any supplement, vitamin E should be used as directed and with caution.

Avoid too much of a good thing

Being fat soluble is not a bad thing. But too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a bad thing. Fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E dissolve in fat, unlike water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C. This means that vitamin E can be stored in your body’s fat tissues and liver for up to six months.

Since most of our vitamin E needs can be met through food, high doses of vitamin E are rarely needed and can cause serious health problems.

You may experience side effects

When taken in small doses, vitamin E rarely causes negative side effects. However, this is not the case for everyone. Here are some side effects to watch out for:

• Blurred vision
• diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Headache
• nausea
• rash
• Stomach cramps
• Weakness

It can cause or worsen certain health conditions

Before adding or increasing your dietary intake of vitamin E, consider the following health conditions that may be caused or worsened by vitamin E.

• Prostate cancer: Although further research is limited, a A pilot study of 35,533 healthy men concluded that dietary vitamin E supplementation caused a significant increase in prostate cancer.
• Heart disease: Although there is no research to suggest that vitamin E causes heart disease, some research suggests that vitamin E may worsen the condition and increase the risk of death from a heart attack or stroke.
• hemorrhage: High doses of vitamin E have been shown to cause bleeding and increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
• Diabetes: Current information supports discouraging people with diabetes from vitamin E supplements.

May interact with certain medications

If you are taking any prescription medications or supplements, check with your doctor before taking vitamin E supplements. Vitamin E can counteract the effectiveness of some drugs or supplements such as vitamin K, statins, niacin, blood thinners, antiplatelet drugs, or even chemotherapy drugs.

Can vitamin E be taken daily?

For adults, recommended daily amount of vitamin E is 15 mg. It only takes a small amount of the right foods to reach 15 mg. For example, there are 7.4 mg of vitamin E in one ounce of sunflower seeds and 7.3 mg in one ounce of almonds. Both will get you to about 49% of your daily vitamin E requirement.

Because vitamin E is so readily available in food, and in this case more is not better, supplementation is not often necessary. However, if you can’t get the recommended daily allowance through food, you should limit your supplements to 15 mg or less per day to get the full benefits of vitamin E.

If you are taking other supplements or medications, be sure to check with your doctor before taking vitamin E.