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Vitamin E and its Benefits Vitamin E
is a fat-soluble antioxidant that may help minimize the effects of
free-radicals. In food, it helps prevent polyunsaturated fatty acids from
breaking down and combining with substances that may harm the body. Vitamin
E may also help maintain muscle & nerve function, bring nourishment to
cells; strengthen capillary walls; protect red blood cells; promote healthy
immune function; & decrease platelet aggregation (thins blood).
Wheat germ oil,
nuts and seeds,
whole
grains,
egg yolks, and
leafy
green vegetables all contain vitamin E. Certain
vegetable oils should contain significant amounts of vitamin E. However,
many of the vegetable oils sold in supermarkets have had the vitamin E
removed in processing. The high amounts found in supplements, often 100 to
800 IU per day, are not obtainable from eating food.
Vitamin E is actually
includes several tocopherols, each with their own subfamilies of alpha,
beta, gamma and delta substances. Unless your brand contains the full
spectrum of these, you are not getting the full benefits of vitamin E. The gamma form is quite effective against certain dangerous free
radicals which the alpha form fails to neutralize.
The natural blend (d-alpha) of vitamin E is up to a 3 times more effective as an
antioxidant when compared to synthetic vitamin E. It is considered the first line of defense
against lipid peroxidation, protecting cell membranes against free radicals.
Sources include the Vitacost
Website.
For more information on Vitamin E, its
sources, side effects and benefits, click to view the
Vitacost informational page on Vitamin E.
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fitness, click here to view the home page for
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