Patient's question:
What is the function of VE?Doctor's answer:
Vitamin E, also known as tocopherol or, exists in edible oils, fruits, vegetables, and grains. It was successfully synthesized artificially in 1988 and is currently available in various forms such as tablets, injections, and suppositories. As its name suggests, vitamin E, also known as tocopherol or, helps maintain normal reproductive organ function and has a positive effect on the body's metabolism. It can increase the weight of the ovaries, promote their function, enhance the maturation of follicles, enlarge the corpus luteum, and inhibit the oxidation of progesterone in the body, thereby increasing its effects. Additionally, vitamin E has a supportive therapeutic effect on conditions such as excessive menstruation, vulvar itching, nocturnal calf cramps, and hemorrhoids. In recent years, vitamin E has been widely used for anti-aging purposes, believed to eliminate the deposition of lipofuscin in cells, improve normal cell function, and slow down the aging process of tissues and cells.Given its numerous functions, some media have excessively promoted vitamin E, even exaggerating the potential beneficial effects of high doses in the body, leading to a "vitamin E craze" and the frequent occurrence of indiscriminate vitamin E consumption.
Solubility and Storage: Vitamin E is fat-soluble and stored in the liver, adipose tissue, heart, muscles, testes, uterus, blood, adrenal glands, and pituitary gland. It consists of eight compounds called tocopherols: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, and theta, among which alpha-tocopherol has the strongest effect.
Enemies of Vitamin E: High temperatures, oxygen, low temperatures, food processing, iron, chlorine, and mineral oil.
General Effects: Vitamin E has a strong antioxidant effect, preventing the oxidation of fat compounds, vitamin A, selenium (Se), two sulfur-containing amino acids, and vitamin C. It enhances the effect of vitamin A; vitamin E is also an important vasodilator and anticoagulant. A vitamin E supplement containing 200 IU of vitamin E and 25 mcg of selenium can enhance its efficacy.
Benefits:
- Slows down cellular aging due to oxidation, maintaining youthful appearance.
- Supplies oxygen to the body, increasing endurance.
- Works with vitamin A to resist air pollution and protect the lungs.
- Prevents blood clots.
- Reduces fatigue.
- Acts as an external and internal medication for localized wounds (absorbed through the skin), preventing scars.
- Accelerates wound healing.
- Lowers blood pressure as a diuretic.
- Prevents miscarriage.
- Helps alleviate leg cramps and stiffness in hands and feet.
- Reduces the risk of ischemic heart disease.
Recommended Daily Intake: The suggested daily intake for adults is 8–10 IU. One IU of vitamin E is equivalent to 1 mg of vitamin E, and 60–70% of the daily intake is excreted with waste.
Unlike other fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin E is stored in the body for a relatively short time, similar to vitamins B and C. Medical experts recommend a common oral dose of 10–100 mg per time, 1–3 times daily. A high dose is defined as 400 mg or more per day, and long-term use refers to continuous intake for 6 months or more. The vitamin E content in a balanced diet is usually sufficient to meet the body's needs. Therefore, long-term vitamin E supplementation is not only unnecessary but also unsafe for the elderly, as it can cause side effects.
Is High-Dose Vitamin E Truly Beneficial? U.S. medical expert Robert warns that long-term high-dose vitamin E intake can lead to various diseases. Severe cases include thrombophlebitis or pulmonary embolism, which may occur simultaneously due to high-dose vitamin E causing platelet aggregation and formation. Other effects include elevated blood pressure (which returns to normal or normal levels after discontinuation), breast enlargement in both men and women, headaches, dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision, muscle weakness, cracked skin, cheilitis, angular cheilitis, and urticaria. Additionally, it may exacerbate symptoms of diabetes or angina, disrupt hormone metabolism, reduce prothrombin levels, increase blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, enhance platelet count and activity, and impair immune function.
Vitamin E Toxicity: Adults taking relatively high doses of vitamin E (400–800 mg/d of d-alpha-tocopherol) for years without significant harm. Those taking 800–3200 mg/d may occasionally experience muscle weakness, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. The most prominent toxic effect of vitamin E > 1000 mg/d is its antagonism to vitamin K, enhancing the anticoagulant effect of oral coumarin drugs, which can lead to significant bleeding.
Vitamin E Deficiency: Red blood cell destruction, muscle degeneration, anemia, and reproductive dysfunction.
Foods Rich in Vitamin E: Malt, soy, vegetable oils, nuts, sprouts, green leafy vegetables, spinach, fortified flour, whole grains, and eggs.
Supplements: Available as fat-soluble capsules and water-soluble tablets, typically ranging from 100 to 1500 IU. Water-soluble vitamin E is suitable for those who avoid fatty foods or experience skin conditions from consuming oily foods, and is particularly recommended for middle-aged individuals over 40. The general daily intake is 200–1200 IU.
Individualized Use of Vitamin E: According to researcher Li Keji from the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory of Peking University Third Hospital, vitamin E deficiency is very rare, especially among Chinese populations whose dietary structure primarily consists of plant-based foods, resulting in high vitamin E intake. Without fat absorption disorders, dietary vitamin E already meets the body's needs. However, extensive clinical studies have confirmed that vitamin E does have disease-preventive and therapeutic benefits, though specific dosages and methods remain undetermined.
Researcher Wang Fu from Shanghai Second Military Medical University introduced domestic and international clinical applications of vitamin E for treating various diseases:
1. Treating Atherosclerosis: Studies report that daily intake of 100 mg or more of vitamin E can slow the progression of mild, moderate, or severe coronary atherosclerosis. Daily supplementation with vitamin C or multiple vitamins does not slow coronary atherosclerosis. Another study found that patients with atherosclerosis taking 200 mg of vitamin E and 90,000 IU of vitamin A for 6–10 weeks experienced reduced headaches, insomnia, vertigo, and tinnitus, along with lower blood pressure and blood lipid cholesterol levels.
2. Treating Congestive Heart Failure and Angina: Daily vitamin E intake of 200–400 mg increases exercise tolerance, eliminates angina, and has diuretic effects.
3. Preventive Effects on Tumors: In vitro and in vivo experiments show that vitamin E controls tumor cell growth, reduces or delays tumor formation. Epidemiological data also indicate a negative correlation between vitamin E intake and tumor incidence. For example, studies found that high-dose vitamin E (1600 mg/day, starting 5–7 days before chemotherapy) prevents doxorubicin-induced hair loss.
4. Vitamin E and Gynecological Diseases: Vitamin E capsules can treat bleeding or excessive menstruation after IUD insertion. The method is to take 100 mg every other day for 7 days (one course), with 1–3 courses generally sufficient. Some literature reports that vitamin E treats immune infertility, anovulatory infertility, and habitual abortion. However, a Finnish study on male smokers found that while vitamin E reduces the risk of ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, it also increases the risk of bleeding, such as intracranial hemorrhage. Therefore, vitamin E should not be overused.
Researcher Li Keji concludes by reminding readers that vitamin E deficiency is rare and should be used for preventive or therapeutic purposes only under medical guidance, avoiding indiscriminate supplementation like calcium.