Vitamin E plays a fundamental role in the prevention, treatment and even cure (where possible) of diseases:
- General degenerative diseases (such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis)
- Neurodegenerative diseases (such as dementias like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's)
- Cardiovascular (mainly by inhibiting LDL peroxidation, increasing HDL and reducing vascular inflammation and platelet aggregation), including thromboembolisms
It's also very important/useful for:
- Prevent premature cell aging
- Fertility
- Antioxidation and reduction of oxidative stress (especially against superoxide, hydroxyl, peroxynitrite and singlet oxygen free radicals and by increasing levels of superoxide dismutase - an antioxidant enzyme).
- Immunity
- Anti-inflammation
- Reduced blood coagulability
- Relief of PMS and menopause symptoms
- Skin diseases, including ulcers and bedsores
- Cataracts (prevention, together with vitamins A and C)
1 - “Vitamin E” is the name given to the set of eight isomers, forming a family of four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta).
2 - What you most often see when you read “vitamin E” is alpha-tocopherol, but the ideal is to receive (preferably through proper nutrition, but well-designed supplementation helps in most cases) as much as possible of the other isomers (since they work mainly synergistically), especially the “gamma” and tocotrienols (possibly the most important members of the “vitamin E family”). *The most widely sold and studied synthetic form of alpha-tocopherol is inferior to natural alpha-tocopherol in many respects and, at high doses, appears to destroy gamma-tocopherol.
3 - Vitamins E are very sensitive to heat and are therefore easily destroyed when food is subjected to high temperatures (such as prolonged cooking and frying) and when oils are not extracted “cold”.
4 - You know when they badmouthed it in poorly designed and badly conducted/interpreted studies? The fact is that all the isomers are important and an excess of one can be harmful in the absence of the others: those who study only one form of Vit.E are therefore more likely to get bad results (as they did a lot with alpha-tocopherol alone)... Balance always!
5 - Most doctors are unaware of most of these facts about vitamin E, given the usually insufficient and superficial study of the subject “Vitamins” in most medical curricula.
6 - Several health insurance companies, negligently and unfortunately, deny regular authorization to dose Vitamin E, claiming that its dosage would only be justified in cases of suspected complex brain pathologies. Absurd, isn't it?
7 - Cholesterol is not the villain, so much so that its deficiency is quite dangerous for health. Excessive, oxidized cholesterol (a process that Vitamins E help to inhibit) is the problem. Understand: icaro.med.br/cholesterol
- Tocotrienols help reduce cholesterol by partially inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA (which is essential for its synthesis).
8 - Other benefits of tocotrienols, little talked about and little consumed/supplemented, include: reduction of triglycerides, reduction in C-reactive protein (an inflammatory marker) and increased levels of Coenzyme Q10. More on this at https://icaro.med.br/coenzimaq10/ e https://www.advancedbionutritionals.com/Cholesterol-Supplements/Vitamin-E-Superstar-Cousin.htm
9 - The recommended daily doses are usually much lower than necessary for those who live under a lot of stress, eat less nutrient-rich foods, have “not so good” lifestyle habits, suffer from frequent intoxication, etc.; in other words, most people need doses that are higher than the “official recommendations” and that are difficult to obtain through food (possible, but not likely).
Tip from Ícaro:
Pay more attention to your daily intake of Vitamin E (preferring natural forms) and, above all, tocotrienols: your health will thank you in as many ways as possible!
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