Sunday, September 4, 2011

Vitamin E is Awesome. Here's Why!


    Vitamin is essentially awesome. But you knew that right?
    Pill Form
     Although scientists aren't positive as to why exactly it's important for the body, they do know that it's a huge building block in the formation of red blood cells, muscles, and other tissues in the body. Several medical professionals even believe that vitamin has the power to prevent different types of cancer because it significantly protects cells against the damage done by free radicals. Vitamin E is yet another important immune boosting vitamin. Research in elderly people shows that it can help protect them against colds and other viruses by keeping their immune system strong.
    Where do you see vitamin E products frequently? Think back to your skin lotions and hair products. Vitamin E is all the rage lately because of the awesome benefits it provides to  skin and hair. If used correctly, vitamin E can help fight against every day pollutants (i.e smoke, smog, and all of the other nasty things floating around outside) as well as healing wounds quickly. When paired with Vitamin C, the two can do incredible things in regards to the healing of skin and hair. 
    Most often, people use what's known as vitamin E oil in addition or in replacement to taking the vitamin. In my case, I take both forms and use them to help with my hair, scalp, and especially to help heal my old scars.  Skin Benefits  of Vitamin E oil
    Great stuff!
  1. Acne scars!
    I personally use a little dab of this incredible oil to help fade the acne scars on my face. The oil seeps into my skin and helps protect against free radicals in the environment as well as encouraging the production of collagen to get rid of my ugly marks. A word of caution- If you're currently suffering through a break-out, limit the use of vitamin E as an every day moisturizer. It could actually promote more break-outs rather than help. Also, a little goes a long way. Keep your vitamin E on the spots that have scars and avoid using it on your entire face simply because it's an oil. Oils clog pores!
  2. Wrinkles!
    Wrinkles can be caused by several factors and are usually the bane of any woman (or man's!) existence. Smoking, drinking, excessive tanning, and the likes can all leave your face literally cracking. Because of it's collagen stimulating properties, vitamin E is helpful in reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
  3. Scars!
    I use vitamin E oil for this purpose as well. I have this stupid purple scar on my arm from a burn, so every day I dab a little bit of vitamin E oil onto it and I massage it in. Vitamin E oil works quite well on scars with regular use.
  4. Stretch Marks!
    I know several people who swear by using vitamin E oil to help fade the appearance of stretch marks. Because stretch marks are scars, it works in the same way by helping produce collagen and protecting against photo-aging. Though it may not work on everyone's skin, with regular use, many people report signifigent change.
    *Note- You can also use it to PREVENT stretch marks. Many pregnant women will rub in vitamin E oil on their ever expanding tummy and breasts to help stop the embarrassing marks.
  5. Brown Spots!
    Weakened, poor liver function as well as damage from free-radicals cause this dark little reminders of summers spent baking on the beach. Get rid of them by religiously rubbing in vitamin E oil!



    Neat Hair Benefits
  1. Prevents Breakage
    If your hair is super-fine like mine (and NOT in the good way..), use vitamin E oil on the tips of your hair to prevent breakage and split ends. Depending on your hair type it will leave your hair greasy though, so use when you don't have a hot date. Or, when you don't want to look like a slicked up mouse. Whatever comes first :)
  2. Scalp Protection
    Most people know that hair is dead, and towards the bottom of your hair is the oldest part. If you want to help protect your hair from the very beginning, rub some oil into your roots and around your scalp. This will help prevent unsightly dandruff and help keep hair strong and shiny.

    3. Hi!
    Fertility benefits too?  Okay, let's switch off of the vitamin E OIL train for a moment here and flip back to the actual vitamin tablet.  Did you know that vitamin E consumption can play a part in fertility of both men and women? For women, vitamin E can help improve the quality of eggs as well as prevent 
    miscarriages. For men along with selenium, it can help protect the integrity and DNA of sperm along with the quality and motility.
    So how much do I take? Check out this table provided by http://ods.od.nih.gov
    Table 1: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocopherol) [6]
    Age
    Males
    Females
    Pregnancy
    Lactation
    0–6 months*
    4 mg
    (6 IU)
    4 mg
    (6 IU)


    7–12 months*
    5 mg
    (7.5 IU)
    5 mg
    (7.5 IU)


    1–3 years
    6 mg
    (9 IU)
    6 mg
    (9 IU)


    4–8 years
    7 mg
    (10.4 IU)
    7 mg
    (10.4 IU)


    9–13 years
    11 mg
    (16.4 IU)
    11 mg
    (16.4 IU)


    14+ years
    15 mg
    (22.4 IU)
    15 mg
    (22.4 IU)
    15 mg
    (22.4 IU)
    19 mg
    (28.4 IU)
    *Adequate Intake (AI)
    Table 3: Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for Vitamin E [6]
    Age
    Male
    Female
    Pregnancy
    Lactation
    1–3 years
    200 mg 
    (300 IU)
    200 mg 
    (300 IU)


    4–8 years
    300 mg
    (450 IU)
    300 mg 
    (450 IU)


    9–13 years
    600 mg 
    (900 IU)
    600 mg 
    (900 IU)


    14–18 years
    800 mg 
    (1,200 IU)
    800 mg 
    (1,200 IU)
    800 mg
    (1,200 IU)
    800 mg 
    (1,200 IU)
    19+ years
    1,000 mg 
    (1,500 IU)
    1,000 mg 
    (1,500 IU)
    1,000 mg
    (1,500 IU)
    1,000 mg 
    (1,500 IU)
    How much is too much? Honestly, if you just stick by taking a One A Day vitamin everyday, you really don't have to worry about overdosing on vitamin E. However, vitamin E is a blood thinner so check with your doctor before adding it to your diet in pill form because that could create serious problems. Seriously though? Check with your doc before starting ANY new vitamin.
    What foods can provide vitamin E? Here is another awesome chart provided by  http://ods.od.nih.gov
    Food
    Milligrams (mg)
    per serving
    Percent DV*
    Wheat germ oil, 1 tablespoon
    20.3
    100
    Sunflower seeds, dry roasted, 1 ounce
    7.4
    37
    Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce
    6.8
    34
    Sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon
    5.6
    28
    Safflower oil, 1 tablespoon
    4.6
    23
    Hazelnuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce
    4.3
    22
    Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons
    2.9
    15
    Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce
    2.2
    11
    Corn oil, 1 tablespoon
    1.9
    10
    Spinach, boiled, ½ cup
    1.9
    10
    Broccoli, chopped, boiled, ½ cup
    1.2
    6
    Soybean oil, 1 tablespoon
    1.1
    6
    Kiwifruit, 1 medium
    1.1
    6
    Mango, sliced, ½ cup
    0.7
    4
    Tomato, raw, 1 medium
    0.7
    4
    Spinach, raw, 1 cup
    0.6
    3
    *DV stands for daily value
    The Dietary Guidelines for Americans describes a healthy diet as one that:
  3. Emphasizes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
    Vitamin E is found in green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and fortified cereals.
  4. Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
    Nuts are good sources of vitamin E.
  5. Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
    Vitamin E is commonly found in vegetable oils.
  6. Stays within your daily calorie needs.
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)