Vitamin E

• Vitamin E Protects the Heart
• Vitamin E May Boost Immune Function
• Vitamin E May Slow Alzheimer Disease
• Leading Sources of Vitamin E

Vitamin E Protects the Heart

High levels of vitamin E appear to lower the risk of angina and heart attacks while low levels of vitamin E appear to increase the risk of dying from heart disease. Vitamin E may also limit the oxidation of bad cholesterol--the low density lipoproteins (LDLs). The following studies examined the relationship between vitamin E and heart disease:

• The Health Professionals Follow-Up Study involving 51,529 men ages 40 to 75 years old with no heart disease, found evidence of an association between a high intake of vitamin E and a lower risk of coronary heart disease in men.
   
• A similar analysis using the Nurse's Health Study followed 87,000 women 34 to 59 years old for 8 years. Again, they found evidence that those who took daily supplements of 200 to 400 international units of vitamin E were 40 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who did not take the supplements.

Vitamin E May Boost Immune Function

Vitamin E may also play a role in the function of your immune system. Healthy older adults experience a decreased response to challenge by viruses and bacteria that reflects a weakening of the immune defenses. Malnutrition can worsen these problems for many older persons. A small but carefully conducted clinical trial demonstrated that vitamin E supplementation at a dose of 200 mg/d was effective in increasing antibody response.

Vitamin E May Slow Alzheimer Disease

In a study of 341 patients with this condition, large doses of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease. One of the possible causes of Alzheimer's disease may be oxidant damage and Vitamin E (an antioxidant) may prevent this damage.

Leading Sources of Vitamin E

While fruits and vegetables will provide you with most of your needed antioxidants, it is hard to get sufficient vitamin E with a normal diet. Good sources of vitamin E are nuts, seeds, wheat germ, and vegetable oils. Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol, is a fat soluble vitamin. Therefore, vitamin supplements should be taken with meals containing some fat for the best absorption.