Nutrina's Vitamin E is an antioxidant which is important in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. It also improves circulation, is necessary for tissue repair, and is useful in treating premenstrual syndrome and fibrocystic disease of the breast. It promotes normal blood clotting and healing, reduces scarring from some wounds, reduces blood pressure, aids in the prevention of cataracts, improves athletic performance, and reduces leg cramps. It has also been shown to enhance the sperm production in some men.

Choose between 200 IU and 400 IU

D-Alpha Tocopherol - "Natural" Vitamin E

About Vitamin E

Scientists identified vitamin E about 80 years ago, but only in the past few decades has its power as an antioxidant been revealed and fully appreciated. What this means is that you'll have to get far more than the government-established RDA for this vitamin to benefit from its ability to stave off disease and enhance overall health. Unfortunately, most foods containing vitamin E—nuts, vegetable oils and margarine, for example—are high in fat. So to get the protective punch of vitamin E without adding fats to your diet, you need to seriously consider taking supplements.

Red Blood Cells

When summoned from the fatty tissue where it's stored, this antioxidant springs into action, protecting cells by deactivating or destroying the potentially damaging oxygen molecules called free radicals. Vitamin E also helps in the formation of red blood cells and facilitates the use of selenium and vitamins A and K.

Cancer

Vitamin E is an antioxidant which is important in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. It also improves circulation, is necessary for tissue repair, and is useful in treating premenstrual syndrome and fibrocystic disease of the breast. It promotes normal blood clotting and healing, reduces scarring from some wounds, reduces blood pressure, aids in the prevention of cataracts, improves athletic performance, and reduces leg cramps. It has also been shown to enhance the sperm production in some men.

Prostate Cancer

Vitamin E maintains healthy nerves and muscles while strengthening capillary walls. Additionally, it promotes healthy skin and hair, and helps to prevent anemia. In 1998, a study by the National Cancer Institute found that long-term use of vitamin E substantially reduced prostate cancer risk in smokers. Other studies suggest that this vitamin may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. So far, and the research continues, vitamin E has been shown to protect against eighty different diseases, give or take one or two.

As an antioxidant, vitamin E prevents cell damage by inhibiting the oxidation of lipids (fats) and the formation of free radicals. Vitamin E is fat soluble and since sell membranes are composed of lipids, it effectively prevents the cells' protective coating from becoming rancid as a result of the assault of free radicals.

Vitamin E also enhances oxygen utilization, enhances immune response.

Aging

It protects other fat-soluble vitamins from destruction by oxygen and aids in the utilization of vitamin A. Vitamin E retards aging and may prevent age spots as well. Some studies have shown daily use of vitamin E to be more protective against heart attack than aspirin, without the harmful side effects. The misuse of aspirin, by contrast, causes or contributes to an estimated 3,000 deaths annually in the United States.

Technically

Vitamin E is actually a family of eight different but related molecules that fall into two major groups:

• Tocopherols
  
• Tocotrienols
  

Within each group there are alpha, beta, gamma, and delta forms. Of all eight of these molecules, the d-alpha-tocopherol form is the most potent. Natural sources of vitamin E are better than synthetic sources since natural vitamin E is more available for use by the body. The natural form of vitamin E is listed as d-alpha-tocopherol, while the synthetic form is listed as dl-alpha-tocopherol (with an l after the d). The dl form is only 67 percent as active as the d form, but costs about half as much. It's up to you. It may be a wash financially, but the d-alpha form is the better choice nutritionally.

Vitamin E is found in several food sources, including cold-pressed vegetable oils, dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Brown rice, soybeans, dulse, and wheat germ also contain significant amounts.

Note, that the body needs zinc to maintain a proper level of vitamin E in the blood, and selenium enhances vitamin E uptake. Also, vitamin C can restore, and equip to fight another day, vitamin E molecules that have oxidized free radicals.

Vitamin E Benefits

As a powerful antioxidant, vitamin E plays a vital role in protecting the body from many chronic disorders. It may even slow the aging process and guard against damage from secondhand smoke and other pollutants. Circulatory disorders, skin and joint problems, diabetes-related nerve complications, high cholesterol, endometriosis, immune-system function and memory are also believed to benefit from vitamin E.

The healing powers of regular vitamin E supplements (that is, those containing tocopherols only) are often merged with those of vitamin C, a sister antioxidant that actually increases the effectiveness of vitamin E. This combination holds promise for preventing and treating such disorders as congestive heart failure, alcoholism, cancer, HIV infection, lupus, multiple sclerosis and nail problems. Recent findings suggest that a high-dose antioxidant cocktail of vitamins E and C may even block some of the damaging effects of a fatty meal.

Specifically, vitamin E may help to:

• Prevent heart disease and related complications. Vitamin E's ability to protect against cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart attack, has been intensively studied. The vitamin appears to prevent the oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol—the first step in the development of atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries. And several clinical trials have shown that the supplement can inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis in individuals already suffering from heart disease.
  
  
• In the Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study, published in the British medical journal Lancet in 1996, people with existing heart disease (coronary atherosclerosis) who took vitamin E had a 77% lower risk of subsequent (nonfatal) heart attack than those who took a placebo. A separate study investigating the cholesterol-lowering effects of tocotrienols specifically--they appear to inhibit the liver's synthesis of cholesterol--found that large doses could lower LDL cholesterol by 10%.
  
  
• Whether vitamin E supplements can reduce the risk of heart disease in people who are healthy is still being explored. In two large studies at the Harvard School of Public Health, vitamin E supplements lowered the risk of heart disease in both women and men by about 40%. Other positive lifestyle factors may partially account for this apparent benefit, however.
  
  
• Vitamin E's heart-healthy actions also extend to its ability to prevent blood clots--tocotrienols do this too--and minimize the inflammatory process involved in heart disease development. Still a matter of debate, however, is whether an antioxidant such as vitamin E (both in the form of tocopherols and tocotrienols) can prevent strokes, which aren't directly related to atherosclerosis.
  
  
• Protect against prostate and other cancers. As an antioxidant, vitamin E safeguards cell membranes and may play an important role in preventing certain cancers. One recent Finnish study reported a reduced incidence of prostate cancer (and death from the disease) in male smokers who took this antioxidant (50 IU daily) for five to eight years.
  
  
• Prevent or delay cataracts and macular degeneration. Animal studies indicate that vitamin E protects against cataracts, a leading cause of blindness in older people. So far most studies have shown a minor protective effect, although one study of 764 people reported that taking vitamin E supplements cut the incidence of cataracts in half. One recent study in humans found that the risk of late-stage macular degeneration, a potentially blinding eye disorder, was significantly lower in older adults who had high levels of vitamin E in their bloodstream.
  
  
• Slow Alzheimer's disease. No one knows exactly what causes this progressive loss of memory and nerve function, but one theory is that over time, free radicals gradually damage nerve fibers. Columbia University researchers reported that very high doses of vitamin E (2,000 IU a day) slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease. In fact it proved as effective at this as selegiline, a prescription drug commonly used to treat Alzheimer's.
  
  
• No research has shown that vitamin E can actually prevent Alzheimer's disease from developing in the first place, however. An intriguing recent study linked low levels of vitamin E in the bloodstream with memory problems in the elderly.
  
  
• Retard the aging process and boost immune function. With age, the immune system becomes less efficient at fighting off microbes and viruses. Part of this decline may be due to low levels of vitamin E in the bloodstream. Some studies have shown improved immune responses in older people who take vitamin E supplements. Vitamin E may also slow the effects of aging by protecting cells from free-radical damage.
  
  
• Promote healing of burns, eczema, and other skin problems. When applied to the skin, vitamin E-containing creams or oils are believed to promote healing, protecting cells from free-radical damage and reducing itchiness. Many people use such products to ensure optimal skin health.
  

Vitamin E References

Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary disease in women. Stampfer M., Hennekens C., Manson J, et.al.: N Eng J Med 1993;328:1444-1449.

Effect of combined supplementation with alpha-tocopherol, ascorbate and beta-carotene on low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Jialal I., Grundy S.: Circulation 1993;88:2780-2786.

Wholehealthmd.com Reference Library

Vitamin E Book. Shutte, Wilfred. Keats Publishing, 1975

Vitamin Bible. Mindell, Earl

Vitamins & You. Benowieez, Robert

The People's Guide to Vitamins & Minerals. Bosco, Dominick

The Complete Book of Vitamins. Gottlieb, William

Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Phyllis A. Balch, CNC and James F. Balch, M.D.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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Try Vitamin E IU for 30 days. If you are not completely satisfied with the results, return the unused portion for a full product refund.