Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, which has endless role in the maintenance of normal body functions. It is very important in preventing the body from diseases of heart and nervous system, it can also be useful for treatment of diabetes and its complications, and it lessens the harmful effects of certain medications and medical treatments like effects of chemotherapy and dialysis. Vitamin E improves the muscle strength and reduces the muscle damage and fatigue. It is used for the treatment of skin disorders and prevents skin from certain allergies and aging.
Vitamin E is very important for women health and is used to reduce the complications in pregnancy, infertility, hot flashes in breast cancer etc. It increases the testosterone and other sex hormone levels in men and enhances the sperm motility.
Vitamin E is actually a group of eight compounds four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta). Tocopherol alpha is of most importance. Rich natural sources of vitamin e are sunflower oil, wheat germ oil, fresh fruits and vegetables like, nuts, seeds, meat and eggs. It is also available as supplements in the markete. The recommended daily allowance of this vitamin is 15mg in normal adult humans while this amount increase to 19mg in breast feeding women.
Defiency of vitamin E is not very common in normal humans. Babies with premature birth could be little deficient in this vitamin but complications in them can be prevented by giving supplements of vitamin e. other people who can have deficiency of vitamin e are persons who are suffering from fat malabsorption disorders. People suffering from this disease cannot absorb vitamin e properly because it is a fat soluble vitamin. People with an inherited disorder called abetalipoproteinemia also needs higher supplements of vitamin e.
Taking vitamin E from natural sources is safe and there is no side effect if taken within the recommended daily allowance but very high dose of supplements of vitamin e can be very harmful. Very higher levels of vitamin e causes the problems of blood clotting specially in persons with vitamin K (vitamin related to clotting of blood) deficiency and chances of hemorrhage (excessive bleeding) becomes increased in individuals. People who are going to have any kind of surgery should stop taking vitamin E at least two weeks before surgery. In the persons who are taking anti inflammatory and anti coagulant drugs the use of vitamin E supplements increases the chance of hemorrhage to great extent.
