Health Benefits of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is your body's most abundant fat-soluble antioxidant, and the single most important antioxidant for heart attack prevention. It has been the subject of research studies for more than 70 years now. The breadth and scope of the benefits of vitamin E has made it one of the most significant nutritional discoveries in history.

Vitamin E is an essential fat-soluble vitamin. It is not a single compound, but a family of molecules composed of tocopherols and tocotrienols (fat-soluble alcohols), all nearly identical in structure. The four distinct tocopherols are named alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-tocopherols.

Vitamin E helps prevent oxidative stress by working together with the other network antioxidants: vitamin C, glutathione and lipoic acid, as well as the mineral selenium.

Vitamin E
and Heart Attack Prevention

There is overwhelming evidence that vitamin E is an essential nutrient for heart attack prevention. As far back as 1933, Wilfred and Evan Shute, two cardiologists from Ontario, Canada, began using this vitamin to treat heart conditions. In their 1972 book, the Shutes reported having treated more than 30,000 patients with overwhelming positive results.

What makes vitamin E so valuable in preventing heart disease and atherosclerosis is that it can maneuver into fatty parts of the cell membrane that are inaccessible to the other network antioxidants.

The Cholesterol Myth. At the root of most heart problems is a condition called atherosclerosis, often referred to as "clogging" or "hardening" of the arteries. The commonly held belief is that your arteries get clogged because your cholesterol levels are too high. The medical community, and the public, seem to accept this as a scientific fact — except it is absolutely not true!

If you think that there is a connection between high cholesterol levels and heart disease, you need to watch this amazing presentation in which Dr. Malcolm Kendrick clearly demonstrates that there is absolutely NO correlation whatsoever.

High cholesterol may accelerate the onset of atherosclerosis and heart disease, but it doesn't cause anything by itself. In fact, Vitamin E levels may even be a better predictor of heart attacks than are cholesterol levels. Low levels of this vitamin almost always precede heart problems.

Heart Disease Starts with Oxidation. Cardiovascular disease begins when the walls of your arteries and the cholesterol in your blood are damaged by free radicals and oxidative stress. As a result, the arterial wall is no longer smooth, and it attracts more cholesterol that your liver is producing to try and repair the damage.

As the attacks from free radicals continue, the cholesterol oxidizes even more and begins to stick to the damaged arterial wall to form plaque. The arteries become narrower, diminishing the flow of blood to the heart. You now have atherosclerosis, the first step to heart disease.

It doesn't matter what your overall levels of cholesterol are — if the cholesterol gets damaged by free radical attacks, you will develop atherosclerosis.

To understand this more completely, watch another fascinating video in which Dr. Ron Rosedale exposes the cholesterol myth and reveals the truth about HDL and LDL-cholesterol and oxidation.

Antioxidants
and Heart Attack Prevention

The most effective plan for heart attack prevention is a diet rich in antioxidants, supplemented with specific antioxidant supplements. Antioxidants prevent the free radical attacks to your arteries that cause atherosclerosis and almost all cardiovascular diseases.

Vitamin E, as well as the herbs ginkgo biloba and garlic, have proven to be more effective and safer than aspirin, which is often recommended by doctors as a strategy for preventing heart disease.

The Hazards of Aspirin Consumption. The use of aspirin on a daily basis may cause stomach irritation that leads to bleeding, and possible kidney problems. Daily aspirin has also been connected to an increase in brain hemorrhages. Read the Wikipedia entry on the side effects of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NAIDs).

Vitamin E, as well as ginkgo biloba and garlic offer safer alternatives, and come with other major benefits to boot. All of these natural supplements have been shown to prevent oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the fundamental cause of atherosclerosis. They also reduce your risk of stroke by making your blood platelets less sticky and therefore less likely to clot.

Vitamin E
Strengthens Your Immune System

The primary job of your immune system is to protect you against disease. They call it a "system" because it is not associated with any one particular organ. Instead, it is a collection of cells that seek out and destroy bacteria, viruses, cancerous cells and foreign invaders that it identifies as harmful.

T-cells. There are several different types of immune cells. T-cells are the main cells of the immune system. T-cells circulate throughout the bloodstream and seek out and destroy harmful invaders. Other T-cells, called suppressor cells, help immune cells distinguish between the cells of the body and foreign proteins. A malfunction in suppressor cells can lead to autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

B-cells. Another type of immune cell, B-cells, produce proteins called antibodies that attach onto a foreign substance when it has been introduced into the body.

As we age, there is a measurable drop in immune function. Although we may produce just as many T-cells and B-cells, they do not work as well as they did when you were younger. Vitamin E has been shown to produce a significant increase in T-cell and B-cell activity in studies done with older patients.

Other Specific Benefits of Vitamin E

Besides protecting your cardiovascular system, the benefits of vitamin E include keeping your skin youthful by protecting against ultraviolet radiation and ozone, the major causes of wrinkles. Vitamin E also promotes healthy hair and reduces acne conditions. It also has been shown to increase longevity and promotes quicker recovery from strenuous exercise.

The list of specific benefits of vitamin E is virtually endless. You will understand why this vitamin is held in such high regard after reading down the list of reported benefits below:

Brain Function
• maintains brain function and mental cognition in old age
• may help to prevent or slow down the progression of Alzheimer's
• prevention and treatment of migraines
• prevention and treatment of multiple sclerosis, strokes and Parkinson's

Cancer
• reduces the risk of prostate and bladder cancer
• inhibits the growth of cancer cells

Circulatory System
• helps prevent varicose veins
• lowers blood pressure
• prevention and treatment of angina
• helps prevent anemia
• supports normal blood clotting
• protects against leg cramps

Immune System
• strengthens your immune system
• repairs damaged tissues and scars
• prevention and treatment of
rheumatoid arthritis

Vision Problems
• prevention and treatment of cataracts and macular degeneration

More Benefits of Vitamin E
Vitamin E may be useful in the prevention and treatment of the following:
• arthritis and other inflammatory diseases
• asthma
• diabetes
• epilepsy
• gout
• infertility
• vaginitis
• menopause
• oral cancers
• peptic ulcers
• premenstrual syndrome
• psoriasis

Best Sources for
the Benefits of Vitamin E

Where did the vitamin E in our food go? Modern processing removes most of the vitamin E content from oil-rich foods in order to extend shelf life. The extracted portion of the oils are sold to vitamin manufacturers, who convert it to vitamin E supplements! This leaves many people deficient in this most important nutrient, and has contributed greatly to the epidemic of heart disease that we're seeing today.

Very few foods contain enough of this vitamin to guarantee that you get even the minimum government RDA of 30IU (International Units). The best sources include unrefined vegetable oils, raw sunflower seeds and raw almonds.

Here's a list of the foods highest in vitamin E:

• Almonds, 1oz - 11 IU
• Sunflower seeds, 1oz - 9 IU
• Sunflower oil, unrefined, 1tbsp - 8 IU
• Hazelnuts, 1oz - 6.5 IU
• Mixed nuts, 1oz - 4.6 IU


• Peanut Butter, 2tbsp - 4.4 IU
• Peanuts, 1oz - 3.3 IU
• Avocado, 1 med - 9 IU
• Tomato paste, 1/4 cup - 4 IU
• Olive Oil, 1tbsp - 3.5 IU

A word about vegetables oils. Foods that have the highest levels of vitamin E include unrefined sunflower, safflower and peanut oils. These are not the clear, refined oils that you mostly see in the main supermarket aisles; they are usually found in the natural foods section. Make sure you get organic, unrefined oils only.

In addition, most of the common vegetable oils on the grocery shelf are extracted from genetically-modified crops, especially soy, canola and corn. The food industry does not want you to know this, so there will be no indication on the label about their source. Avoid these oils at all costs. The only healthy oil for cooking is organic coconut oil.

The best way to get all of the benefits of vitamin E. As you can see, it's difficult to get enough of this vitamin through your diet. You'd have to eat over 2 pounds of almonds to get the same amount of vitamin E as there is in one 400IU capsule, a dosage common in many supplements. This is a dosage that has been proven to be effective in over 70 years of scientific studies.

When shopping for supplements, make sure that you get one with natural, mixed tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-tocopherols), at least 400IU per day, and no soy oil, which is added sometimes as a filler. Cheaper products usually contain only dl-alpha tocopherol, the artificial version, and are not as effective; check the label before you buy.

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