Vitamin E Deficiency and its Symptoms

Vitamin E is not to be taken lightly. This fat-soluble vitamin is required for proper body function and wellness. Vitamin E has antioxidant properties and helps in the maintenance of a healthy immune system.

Vitamin E can be found in a wide variety of foods that we eat on a regular basis. A vitamin E deficiency is extremely uncommon, but not impossible.

Vitamin E is a hydrophilic vitamin, meaning it dissolves in fat. Many foods, including vegetable oils, grains, meat, poultry, eggs, and fruits, contain it.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient for the normal functioning of many of the body’s organs. It’s also a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E found naturally in foods is not the same as vitamin E found in supplements.

Vitamin E is used to treat vitamin E insufficiency, which is uncommon but can occur in patients with specific hereditary disorders and premature infants with very low weight. Vitamin E is frequently utilized for a variety of different ailments, but there is no scientific evidence to support many of these claims.

Symptoms of vitamin E Deficiency

A Vitamin E deficiency is caused by the following ways:

Muscle Pain or Weakness

The central nervous system relies heavily on vitamin E. A deficit can harm nerves and muscles, resulting in muscular weakness or discomfort.

Feelings of numbness and tingling

Nerve and muscle injury can result in a lack of sensation, particularly in the arms and legs.

Trouble with walking and Coordination

Coordination can be affected by nerve and muscle injury. Walking, for example, can become more difficult.

Vision Problems

People with severe vitamin E deficiency who do not receive treatment may lose their vision over time.

A Weakened Immune System

Vitamin E deficiency may cause immune cells to be inhibited. According to studies, due to changes in the immune system that occur as we age, older persons have a higher demand for vitamin E.

How to Treat Vitamin E Deficiency

If you feel you’re deficient in vitamin E, don’t go out and get some.

This is an uncommon deficiency. If you suspect you’re deficient in vitamin E, it’s critical to contact your doctor and get a diagnosis.

However, patients with Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and a rare illness called abetalipoproteinemia are more likely to develop a vitamin E deficiency.

Consult your doctor about the benefits and hazards of vitamin E supplementation. If necessary, supplementation can then be considered. It may be as simple as including extra vitamin E-rich foods in your daily diet to treat a vitamin E shortage.

How to get Vitamin E from Food

Vitamin E can be found in a wide variety of foods. Most people do not need to use vitamin E supplements since they acquire enough vitamin E through their everyday diet.

Nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils are some of the greatest sources of vitamin E. Leafy green vegetables and fortified cereals are also good sources. Vitamin E is added to fortified cereals and fruit juices by some food manufacturers. Check product labels to see if the food you’re consuming contains vitamin E.

Supplementing Vitamin E

Vitamin E supplements should only be taken after consulting with your doctor. If your doctor recommends vitamin E supplementation, be sure you get it from a reliable source. Vitamin E supplements are regulated by the FDA, but they aren’t as strict as pharmaceuticals, so they aren’t always safe and effective.

At the end of the day, eating vitamin-E-rich foods rather than taking a supplement may be safer and more effective.

Some people, such as those with medical disorders that interfere with vitamin E absorption, may need to take a vitamin E supplement to keep their levels healthy. If you’re lacking in vitamin E, your doctor may suggest you take a high-dose supplement.

Health Risks and Associated Conditions

Typical deficiency symptoms are not experienced by healthy people who have low vitamin E consumption and blood levels. Severe deficiencies in this vitamin, on the other hand, have been linked to a variety of chronic illnesses.

Impaired Immunity

Vitamin E is necessary for a healthy immune system. It protects immune cells from oxidative stress and increases their function.

T-cell immunity is harmed by vitamin E deficiency, rendering the body more susceptible to viral and chronic diseases. Higher vitamin E intake, according to studies on older adults, reduces the incidence of bacterial and viral illnesses. In lab animals, scientists noticed the similar pattern.

Cancer

Vitamin E deficiency deprives people of its significant immune-boosting and anticancer properties.

Higher blood alpha-tocopherol levels were linked to significantly decreased cancer rates in a meta-analysis of eight clinical studies. High alpha-tocopherol smokers had a 21% lower cancer death rate in a study of approximately 29,000 male smokers.

Heart Disease and Stroke

Vitamin E and other antioxidants are essential for a healthy heart and blood vessels. They inhibit plaque accumulation by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol particles. Vitamin E also helps to reduce inflammation and boost the immune system.

People with the highest blood levels of alpha-tocopherol had 18% lower death rates from stroke or heart failure, according to a major meta-analysis. A similar link between vitamin E supplements and heart disease was discovered in a study of almost 29,000 male smokers.

Treatment

The actual cause of vitamin E insufficiency, such as fat malabsorption or another metabolic problem, will be identified and addressed first by a specialist.

They may recommend oral vitamin E supplements (15-25 mg/kg daily or 200 IU of mixed tocopherols) to improve nutritional status. Intramuscular injections may be given to patients with poor absorption.

Conclusion 

Vitamin E is not to be taken lightly. This fat-soluble vitamin is required for proper body function and wellness. Vitamin E has antioxidant properties and helps in the maintenance of a healthy immune system.Vitamin E can be found in a wide variety of foods. Most people do not need to use vitamin E supplements since they acquire enough vitamin E through their everyday diet.Nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils are some of the greatest sources of vitamin E. Leafy green vegetables and fortified cereals are also good sources.The actual cause of vitamin E insufficiency, such as fat malabsorption or another metabolic problem, will be identified and addressed first by a specialist.