What does extra vitamin E help with in people and animals?
The range of vitamins is very large: from vitamin B12 to the known vitamin C and even vitamin K2. However, vitamin E is usually not much talked about. Is there a reason for that? Does vitamin E not deserve a larger stage?
What is vitamin E?
Vitamin E is not much talked about because a deficiency of it hardly ever occurs. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that works as an antioxidant. The vitamin protects all cells, organs and blood vessels. It also helps the human tissue and the eyes keep unintended guests at bay. As for the cells, vitamin E does not only help with the protection, but also regulates the metabolism of a cell.
What exactly can vitamin E be found in?
People do not often have a shortage of vitamin E because it is found in a lot of food. Vitamin E is namely the collective name of difference substances that can be extracted from food. These are so-called tocopherols which are popularly called as ‘types of vitamin E’. The best-known tocopherols are alpha, beta, gamma or delta-tocopherols. Alpha-tocopherol is by far the most important form of vitamin E because it absorbs the cells best. A lot of difficult words but perhaps more interesting for you is: where exactly can you find vitamin E? As previously stated, in a lot of daily foods because our body gets it from bread or other grain products, vegetables, fruit, sunflower oil, halvarine, margarine and nuts or seeds.
A vitamin E deficiency
It is pretty special if you are able to build up a deficiency. As far as it is known, this does not occur in the Netherlands. A vitamin E deficiency can only occur in extreme forms of disorders in the absorption of nutrients. Such a deficiency can be seen in the form of anemia, muscle weakness or neurological symptoms.
An excess of vitamin E
Deficiencies are nearly non-existent but what about an excess of vitamin E? Due to the fact that the body itself discharges any excess, this does not pose any danger for the body. In other words, it is not harmful. Only people with a vitamin K2 deficiency or in users of blood thinners, an excess of vitamin E would inhibit coagulation. However, an excess of vitamin E occurs only as soon as you are taking high-dose supplements for a longer period of time. You would never have too much of an intake of vitamin E through food.
Vitamin E in animals
When people naturally ingest enough vitamin E through food, it may be wise to give animals a hand with that. Vitamin E is also a very important antioxidant in animals with nearly the same effect as in people. For animals it will also help protect cells, cell walls, blood vessels and other tissue against oxidative stress. However, animals do not need to specifically swallow vitamin E. Vitamin E is taken into account in a special multivitamin.