6 minHave you ever wondered what vitamin E can do for your body? This versatile antioxidant is a real hero when it comes to protecting your cells from damage. In this article, you will discover exactly what vitamin E does, why it is so important, and how you can ensure you are getting enough of it. Curious about the details? Read on!
In this article, you will read
- What vitamin E does exactly
- The different forms of vitamin E
- Where you can find vitamin E in your diet
- The consequences of a vitamin E deficiency
- The recommended amount of vitamin E
What is vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant. This means that it helps to neutralise harmful free radicals in our body. Vitamin E therefore protects our cells, blood vessels, organs, eyes and tissues from damage. Because our body cannot produce Vitamin E itself, it is important to obtain it through our diet. It works well in combination with other antioxidants, such as Vitamin C.
Forms of vitamin E
Vitamin E consists of eight different fat-soluble substances. These substances are divided into two groups: tocopherols and tocotrienols.
The most important and most active form of vitamin E is α-tocopherol. In addition to this form, there are also other variants such as beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol, as well as alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocotrienol.
There are two main types of vitamin E:
- D-alpha tocopherol: This is the natural and most active form of vitamin E, which is easily absorbed by your body.
- Alpha-tocopherol: This is a synthetic form of vitamin E, which is often used in supplements, but is less effective than the natural form.
Because it is difficult to produce synthetic vitamin E in a laboratory that is exactly the same as the natural version, it is usually better to choose natural vitamin E supplements. These contain a mix of the different types of tocopherols and tocotrienols.
What is it good for
Vitamin E is important as an antioxidant. It is used in the treatment of anaemia, diabetes and skin care (wound healing), among other things. It is also an important vitamin for various processes, namely:
- Contributes to the protection of healthy cells and tissues
- To protect cells from external influences such as UV radiation and air pollution.
Vitamin E also offers other health benefits.
Vitamin E in food
Food sources of vitamin E include plant products such as oils (mostly in wheat germ oil), nuts (mostly in hazelnuts), seeds such as sunflower seeds, cereal products, vegetables (e.g. broccoli and spinach) and fruit (e.g. avocado and kiwi).
Vitamin E deficiency & symptoms
An unhealthy diet can lead to a vitamin E deficiency. However, air and water pollution and chemical pesticides can also increase the need for vitamin E. In addition, a serious disorder in the absorption (impaired fat absorption) of nutrients can also lead to a vitamin E deficiency.
In children who are born prematurely, digestion does not yet function properly. As a result, the intestines absorb very little vitamin E. This deficiency can lead to anaemia, oedema and an increase in the number of blood platelets.
You can recognise a vitamin E deficiency by the following symptoms:
- Anaemia
- Reduced immunity
- Neurological symptoms
- Muscle weakness
Vitamin E excess
In theory, an excess of vitamin E can accumulate in body tissues and disrupt normal processes there. In practice, however, this rarely occurs and there are no known adverse effects associated with high dietary intake. However, high doses of vitamin E in supplement form can inhibit blood clotting, especially in people with vitamin K deficiency or when using blood thinners. Therefore, caution is advised in these cases.
Recommended amount
The Health Council of the Netherlands has determined an adequate intake for vitamin E. This amount is only a guideline for how much you need, so it should not be used as a target value.
Daily adequate intake for adults:
- Adult women: 11 mg
- Pregnant women: 11 mg
- Breastfeeding women: 11 mg
- Adult men: 13 mg
Daily adequate intake for babies, toddlers and children:
- From 6-11 months: 3 mg
- From 1-2 years: 4 mg
- From 2-5 years: 5 mg
- From 6-9 years: 6 mg
- From 9-13 years (boys): 8 mg
- From 9-13 years (girls): 7 mg
- From 14-17 years (boys): 10 mg
- From 14-17 years (girls): 8 mg
The acceptable upper limit for vitamin E for adults is 300 milligrams per day. For children, the limits for daily use are slightly lower:
- From 1-3 years: 100 mg
- From 4-6 years: 120 mg
- From 7-10 years: 160 mg
- From 11-14 years: 220 mg
- From 15-17 years: 260 mg
Need a vitamin E supplement?
A vitamin E deficiency can occur with an unbalanced diet. Modern processing methods cause a lot of vitamin E to be lost from food. For example, white flour contains hardly any vitamin E, whereas wholemeal flour does. The increase in polyunsaturated fats in our diet also increases the need for this antioxidant. People who eat few unprocessed products can therefore benefit from extra supplementation.
Breastfeeding
Vitamin E is safe to use when breastfeeding. Small amounts of this vitamin end up in breast milk, but it is not harmful to the child. The recommended daily amount is 11 mg.
