Clearing Up the Vitamin E Controversy - What is the Best Vitamin E to Take?

Vitamin E is arguably the most important antioxidant utilized by the body. It protects the body from harmful free-radical damage, and plays an important role in protecting cell membranes because it helps neutralize free radical molecules before they enter the cells.

Vitamin E assists in protecting the lungs, liver, eyes, and arteries. It is a key factor in the normal function of the immune system. Studies have also suggested that it helps lowers cholesterol. This vitamin is commonly the most misunderstood due to its characteristics and different forms. 

Many ask:

What is the best vitamin E to take?

The answer is actually a combination of several different forms of Vitamin E.

Many people view Vita. E as a single entity. However, it is actually a family of eight different compounds, whose sub-categories are named Tocopherols and Tocotrienols. Each of these two sub-categories of Vit. E is further broken down into alpha, beta, gamma, and delta forms.

The most heavily studied form of Vit. E is d-alpha tocopherol. While d-alpha tocopherol is considered the most biologically active form of Vita. E inside the body, newer studies are concluding that gamma-tocopherol has powerful antioxidant capabilities as well. Gamma-tocopherol is thought to be a perfect complement to the d-alpha form.

Studies are also suggesting that in certain systems, the other forms of Vitamin E, Tocotrienols, may be even more powerful antioxidants than the heavily studied tocopherol forms. Tocotrienols may also help reduce cholesterol levels and may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.

Now that we understand what exactly Vit. E is, we must now consider what types of Vit. E to look for when choosing a product. Consider Vitamin E product that has all eight forms of the vitamin in it, as each from has its own unique and beneficial properties. The thing to understand is that all eight forms work together synergistically to provide a greater overall effect than any single form by itself.

When choosing a Vitamin E product, make sure that it comes from natural sources - NEVER CHOOSE A PRODUCT THAT CONTAINS SYNTHETIC VITAMIN E IN THE FORM OF VITAMIN E ACETATE! Studies have shown that this form is actually not good for your health (if you can recall, in the last year, there was a large study broad casted all over the media which stated that "Vitamin E" may be bad for your health. What the media failed to tell consumers was that synthetic Vit. E Acetate is bad for you, not all forms of Vita. E, as this was the form used in the study.)

Finally, make sure that the majority form of Vit. E contained in the product is d-alpha tocopherol (unesterified vitamin E). The Tocotrienols should come from palm oil, as palm oil has the optimal alpha-beta-delta-gamma form ratio compared to other Tocotrienols sources.

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Vitamin E - Did You Know Palm Oil Is Packed With This Nutritional Supplement?

Vitamin E: The briefest of introduction!

A combination of 8 related molecules known as tocopherols constitute the Vitamin E. The most biologically active amongst them are Alpha-Tocoperols and they are responsible for most of the benefits the body receives from the absorption of this particular nutritional supplement It is a stable fat-soluble vitamin, which means that our body can easily break down its potency and nutrients. The daily allowance for Vitamin E, as recommended by the US FDA is measured at 8 to 10 milligrams (15 IU) per day. There are a number of experts however who recommend a much large daily dosage such as Dr. William Shute. (In his widely acclaimed Book of Vitamins, he suggests a daily dose of at least 800 (up to 1600) IU.) This high dosage is thought to play a beneficial part in the prevention of arterial degeneration, which is a devastating vascular damage caused by diabetes.

Vitamin E: How is it beneficial. (If you must know something, then let it be the following!)

According to a research conducted by the folks at Yale University, the unwelcome physical decline that goes hand in hand with aging can be positively affected by a daily intake of this substance. This doesn't mean old folks who were finding difficult to get out of bed will all of sudden be able to leap out in one graceful jump but research did show a gradual rebuilding of vitality which transferred over to a better overall health.

Vitamin E and Diabetics:

In a Swedish Study, Vitamin E therapy as a treatment for diabetes was put forward and supported. The findings includes suggestions such as an advisable daily intake dose of 200 IU of vitamin E over the course of two weeks. The study suggests that Vitamin E helps decrease the insulin requirements of Diabetic patients.

Breast Cancer and Vitamin E: In a society ravaged with an alarming number of women diagnosed with Breast Cancer, vitamin E, taken in proper form appears to be a considered method of reducing the risk of this illness. A number of studies have demonstrated that the risk of contracting Breast Cancer double for women with low levels of vitamin E when compared with those who take the recommended minimum requirements. These studies indicate that some Vitamin E components found in food may be the reason for the reduction in Cancer of the Breast incidence .
There are two classes of Vitamin E:

1. Tocopherol, the form usually found in supplements
2. Tocotrienol, found in food. For example palm oil .

Foods rich in Vitamin E are:

• Oils: vegetable oils such as palm oil, sunflower, corn, soybean, and olive oil.
• Good sources of vitamin e are egg yolk, margarine, Parmesan,cheddar,chickpeas, soya beans, avocados, olives, carrots, parsnips, red peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, and watercress.
• Other sources can be found in fish, goats milk, whole grains,wheat or cereal germ, oatmeal, whole grain products peanut butter, fruits, vegetables, milk and all whole raw or sprouted seeds. Because of the hectic life we seemingly lead in this modern world

Did you know?Vitamin E supplements and all Dietary supplements are measured in international units (IU) .

Did you also know that the word 'Vitamin" is the combination of two words proposed by Dr. Cacimir Fun who in 1911 talked about "Vita Amine" when referring to a new food substance used in the cure of beri-beri.

Several decades later, the final "e" was dropped and a new word was created: Vitamin! Vitamins as micro-nutrients were actually discovered earlier (1887) when Dr.Eijkman who was studying a disease in Indonesia called beriberi realized that fowl who were fed with polished rice developed the disease whereas those fed on crudely milled rice did not.

Nutrition has always been the best source for our supplemental needs. Vitamin E is not different and can be found in all the food sources mentioned above. If you choose to take Vitamin E in supplemental form, our best advise would be Organic Vitamins.

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Palm Vitamin E Tocotrienols Benefits

Palm vitamin E tocotrienols significantly help increase immunity or to inhibit disease in our bodies. Vitamin E was first isolated and recognized nearly 60 years ago. It is fat soluble, widely distributed in foods and can even be stored in our bodies. As a result, vitamin E deficiency rarely occurs in mammals. It is present in all our tissues and cells and protects against the ravages of oxidative damage by free radicals formed in our body. It also plays an important role in the regulation of our immune system. In recent times, vitamin E has been discovered playing its role as an inhibitor of cell proliferation.
Vitamin E occurs in substantial amounts in oils and fats. Generally, the higher the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of oil, the higher the vitamin E requirement. An average ratio of vitamin E to polyunsaturated fatty acids of about 0.6 mg/g is highly desirable.
Vitamin E mostly occurs as alpha, gamma, and delta tocopherol. The composition of vitamin E in palm oil is, however, quite different. Only about 30% of its composition is tocopherol, whereas the rest occur as tocotrienols (alpha, gamma and delta) which are again different isometric forms of vitamin E.
Apart from palm oil, rice bran, wheat germ and barley germ oils are good sources of the tocotrienols.

Benefits of Vitamin E Palm Tocotrienols
Tocotrienols have a chemical structure that is slightly different from the tocopherols.
Research has already determined that this structural difference, while allow it to perform all the classic functions of vitamin E, additionally confers important biological and physiological properties that are not noticeable in tocopherols.
Good manufacturing practice ensures that a substantial amount of palm vitamin E is retained in palm olein, commonly used as cooking oil in our Asian cooking. When crude palm oil is refined, a portion of its vitamin E is concentrated as a by-product, called palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD).
Now, innovative technologies allow the recovery of this palm vitamin E as a concentrate that contains about 30% tocopherols and 70% tocotrienols. Palm vitamin E is now commercially available in Malaysia and other regions.

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