Vitamin E Deficiency
Vitamin E Deficiency
As we eat
more processed foods the amount of vitamin E in our diet
continues to plummet. On this page, we will show you risks of
not getting enough vitamin E.
Vitamin E Requirements
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An early sign of vitamin E deficiency
are lipofuscin or age spots.
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The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for vitamin E is 15 mg of
d-alpha-tocopherol for adult men and women (1 mg of d-alpha-tocopherol
is equal to 1.5 IU, so the RDA is equal to 22.5 IU). Food and
supplement labels usually list amounts of vitamin E in
milligrams rather than international units.
Side Effects of Vitamin E Deficiency
No obvious symptoms accompany a vitamin E deficiency, making it
hard to detect. A brownish pigmentation of the skin, called age
spots or lipofuscin, may signal the problem, but only a blood
test can confirm that vitamin E levels are too low.
When
diseases of the liver, gall bladder, or pancreas reduce
intestinal absorption, a mild deficiency of vitamin E can
result. A diet of processed foods that's very low in fat might
also cause a deficiency.
Vitamin E deficiency can occur in newborn babies, especially
those born prematurely, because the mother doesn't transfer much
vitamin E to the developing fetus until the last few weeks of
pregnancy.
The deficiency can cause hemolytic anemia, a condition in which
the red blood cells are so fragile they rupture.
As we mentioned earlier, it has become increasingly difficult a
sufficient amount of vitamin E in our diet. In our final
section, we will look at the safety and utility of vitamin E
supplements. |
CONTINUE TO PAGE 2 read what foods
have Vitamin E in them on page2
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