Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin required for the proper functioning of many organs in the body.
Digestion, Metabolism and Absorption
Most of the vitamin E is absorbed from the small intestine where it then enters the body’s circulation via the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is made up of numerous organs and tissues that play an important role in maintaining a healthy immune response and helps to rid your body of any toxins. Once vitamin E has entered the body’s circulation it is absorbed along with fat and transported to the liver.
Importance
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that can be found in different forms, of which alpha-tocopherol is the only form that has been shown to meet human requirements. Antioxidants play an essential role in protecting the body from free radicals and help to prevent oxidative stress by neutralizing those free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules in the body that can cause damage if there are too many of them. Oxidative stress is when there are too many free radicals in the body because they are not being removed. During oxidative stress, the body is vulnerable to damage right down to a DNA level.
Vitamin E is one of the antioxidants that help to protect the body right down to a cellular and DNA level. Vitamin E also helps to support the immune system, regulates gene expression and is involved in various other metabolic processes in the body.
Food sources
Vitamin E can be found in a variety of foods, such as fats, whole grains and dark green leafy vegetables. The richest sources of Vitamin E are vegetable oils (e.g., wheat germ, soybean, safflower). Note that vegetable oils are also the richest sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Deficiency, Excess Intake and Supplementation
Vitamin E is stored by your liver in the body. This means that you do not need to consume vitamin E every day as your body stores will provide you with vitamin E on the days that you don’t consume enough of it. It is for this reason that a vitamin E deficiency is quite rare.
A vitamin E supplement is not recommended as your body does store it. While research has yet to show any negative side effects from consuming too many foods high in vitamin E, it is possible to get too much vitamin E from a supplement. Too much vitamin E can potentially result in a hemorrhage and can interfere with the blood clotting process.
Get your EatwellgxTM+ test done today to learn more about your genes and Vitamin E requirements.
