Vitamin E Associated With Less Cardiovascular Risk

Vitamin e is a fat soluble vitamin stored in the liver, adipose (fat) tissue, and the muscles. Bile salts and fat are required for its absorption.

It is found in food in fresh nuts, wheatgerm, seed oils (olive, sunflower, safflower), green leafy vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.

Vitamin e is involved with the formation of DNA and RNA, and red blood cells. It is believed to be associated with encouraging wound healing (which anyone who has used it to prevent scarring will attest to!). It has antioxidant properties, and helps maintain cell membranes, as well as protecting the fats in LDL's (low desity lipoproteins) from oxidising. Oxidation of LDL's is associated with cardiovascular problems.

Vitamin e is also believed to protect the liver from toxic chemicals, as well as contributing to the structure and function of the nervous system. Indeed, in children with true e vitamin deficiency, neurological symptoms develop quickly.

Those with significant malnutrition or problems absorbing fat or with genetic defects affecting vitamin e metabolism are the ones at risk of true vitamin e deficiency. It is reasonably rare, although vitamin e intake at levels that are too low, that correlate with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, is fairly common.

The RDA for men and women is 15 mg/day. This is not based on the amount required to prevent chronic disease however. Linus pauling Institute recommends consumption of 200 mg/day of RRR-a-tocopherol (alpha tocopherol) to maintain health as opposed to just prevent deficiency. The tolerable upper limit for adults (the maximum before toxicity) is 1000 mg/day.

To get that amount of vitamin e daily it is best to take a supplement, when you consider that the average amount of the e vitamins obtained from food is only 6-9 mg/day. To get 200 mg/day from food, you would risk increasing your consumption of fat above 30% of total calories, which is not recommended.

Vitamin e refers to four tocopherols (alpha, gamma, beta and delta), and four tocotrienols. Tocopherols are maintained in the body, and alpha tocopherol is what is present in most supplements. Some supplements contain gamma tocopherol also, as some studies have shown this form of tocopherol may be important. Not enough research has yet been done however to establish its role and quantities required by the body however.

RRR-a-tocopherol (also called d-a-tocopherol) refers to supplements made from natural sources. It is the form most completely used by the body, and therefore, the most potent.

all-rac-a-tocopherol (also called dl-a-tocopherol) is the synthetic form, and contains all eight forms of vitamin e. As some forms of vitamin e aren't used by the body, this is not as potent.

The Linus Pauling Institute suggests this method of calculating the equivalent usable amount of tocopherol in your supplements:

Multiply the IU of RRR-a-tocopherol by 0.67 to get the equivalent in mg.

Multiply the IU of all-rac-a-tocopherol by 0.45 to get the equivalent in mg.

Linus Pauling Institute article on the bioavailability of vitamin e.

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