Vitamin E
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MORECONTENT.docx
Instructions: This assignment has 2 sections: Vitamin E interview, then the second section is the Supplements.
First
Vitamin Interview
Welcome to the Body Company. You are applying for a job with us as a vitamin. Please describe (in an interview) 3 roles (functions) you can play for the body company and which other nutrients you work best with.
Include in the description what will happen when there is too much of you (toxicity) or not enough (deficiency) as well as the 3 best places to get you (food sources).
Second
Many people take multivitamin supplements. Some feel that supplements are a substitute for real whole food. This semester you learned that whole foods are superior to multivitamin supplements. For each of 13 vitamins below, list 1 new food that you would like to try instead of taking a supplement. The food you choose should be a good or excellent source of that nutrient.
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Vitamin E |
Food you would like to try |
%Daily Value of the specific nutrient for that food |
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Vitamin E is an antioxidant and thus acts as a bodyguard against oxidative damage. Such damage occurs when highly unstable molecules known as
free radicals
, formed during normal cell metabolism, run amok. Left unchecked, free radicals create a destructive chain reaction that can damage the polyunsaturated lipids in cell membranes and lipoproteins, the DNA in genetic material, and the working proteins of cells. According to the theory of
oxidative stress
, this situation creates inflammation and cell damage associated with aging processes, cancer development, heart disease, diabetes, and a variety of other diseases. Vitamin E, by being oxidized itself, quenches free radicals and reduces inflammation. Figure 7–7 provides an overview of the antioxidant activity of vitamin E and its potential role in disease prevention.
Figure 7–7Free-Radical Damage and Antioxidant Protection
Free-radical formation occurs during metabolic processes, and it accelerates when diseases or other stresses strike.
A classic vitamin E deficiency occurs in babies born prematurely, before the transfer of the vitamin from the mother to the fetus, which occurs late in pregnancy. Without sufficient vitamin E, the infant’s red blood cells rupture ( erythrocyte hemolysis ), and the infant becomes anemic. The few symptoms of vitamin E deficiency observed in adults include loss of muscle coordination, loss of normal reflexes, and impaired vision and speech. Vitamin E corrects all of these symptoms.
Toxicity of Vitamin E
Vitamin E in foods is safe to consume, and reports of vitamin E toxicity symptoms are rare across a broad range of intakes. However, vitamin E in supplements augments the effects of anticoagulant medication used to oppose unwanted blood clotting, so people taking such drugs risk uncontrollable bleeding if they also take vitamin E. Supplemental doses of vitamin E prolong blood clotting times and increase the risk of brain hemorrhages, a form of stroke that has been noted among people taking supplements of vitamin E.
Pooled results from 78 experiments involving over a quarter-million people suggest that taking vitamin E supplements may increase mortality in both healthy and sick people. Other studies find no effect or a slight decrease in mortality among groups taking low or moderate doses of vitamin E.
To err on the safe side, people who use vitamin E supplements should probably keep their dosages low, not exceeding the UL of 1,000 milligrams of alpha-tocopherol per day.
Vitamin E Food Sources
Vitamin E is widespread in foods (see Snapshot 7–3). Much of the vitamin E that people consume comes from vegetable oils and products made from them, such as margarine and salad dressings. Wheat germ oil is especially rich in vitamin E. Animal fats have almost none.
Snapshot 7–3
Vitamin E
DRI
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Adults: |
15 mg/day |
Tolerable Upper Intake Level
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Adults: |
1,000 mg/day |
Chief Functions
Antioxidant (protects cell membranes, regulates oxidation reactions, protects polyunsaturated fatty acids)
Deficiency
Red blood cell breakage, nerve damage
Toxicity
Augments the effects of anticlotting medication
Good Sources
WHEAT GERM
iStock.com/Aleaimage
SAFFLOWER OIL* (raw)
*Cooking destroys vitamin E.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS* (dry roasted kernels)
*Cooking destroys vitamin E.
CANOLA OIL* (raw)
*Cooking destroys vitamin E.
Heike Brauer/ Shutterstock.com
MAYONNAISE (safflower oil)
Robyn Mackenzie/ Shutterstock.com
Vitamin E is readily destroyed by heat, as Figure 7–9 illustrates, and by oxidation—thus, fresh, raw oils and lightly processed vitamin E–rich foods are the best sources. As people choose more ultra-processed foods, fried fast foods, or “convenience” foods, they lose vitamin E because little vitamin E survives the heating and other processes used to make these foods. Authorities recommend increasing vitamin E–rich foods in the diet to close the gap between DRI amounts and average intakes.
Figure 7–9High Temperatures Destroy Vitamin E
Restaurants typically reuse frying oil several times before replacing it, a practice that destroys most or all of its vitamin E.
Key Points
· Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in cell membranes.
· Average U.S. intakes fall short of DRI recommendations.
· Vitamin E–deficiency disease occurs rarely. Newborn premature infants may be deficient, however.
· Vitamin E supplements may carry risks but toxicity is rare.
