Vitamin E and Their Benefits – Food with Vitamin E and Aromatherapy

Foods with Vitamin E and Their Benefits

The human body does not synthesize Vitamin E. Although there are enzyme systems in the body, other beta-carotene and vitamin C take care of the defensive mechanism of body against free radicals. As a powerful antioxidant, eating food with Vitamin E is required for the prevention and healing of some diseases like Alzheimer’s and heart disease. The human body relies on other sources where vitamin E can be sourced.

Different Types of Vitamin E

Vitamin E exists in eight different formats and can be broken down into two major chemical groups; these groups are tocopherols and tocotrienols. Tocopherols and tocotrienols can be again subdivided into alpha, beta, gamma, and delta forms. Tocopherol is the type of organic compound that is found in many skincare products; alpha-tocopherol is the strongest format of vitamin E available.





Alternate Names for Vitamin E

You may find Vitamin E described as any of the following names on a product label, although the INCI name should be ideally used (in the United States):

tocopherol

tocopherol acetate

tocopherol phosphate

tocopherol linoleate

tocopherol succinate.

The Food Items Below Contain Vitamin E:

Nuts (such as peanuts, almonds, and filberts/hazelnuts) Vegetable oils (such as sunflower, wheat germ, corn, safflower, and soybean oils) Seeds (e.g. sunflower seeds)

Only plants synthesize vitamin E as a natural source. Vitamin E can also be produced synthetically. It can be found in vegetables such as carrots, spinach, mustard, turnips, and broccoli. It can also be found in fruits such as almonds papaya, and kiwi. Vitamin E is also present in plant-based oils such as soya, olive, sunflower, corn, and safflower oil.

Food items that contain vitamin E have varying amounts of alpha- and gamma-tocopherols measured in milligrams. The database lists food composition for USDA for all the food items that contain vitamin E with the available amounts. A nutrient rating system is available to determine the healthiest foods in the world, which are classified as good, very good, and excellent sources of vitamin E, as stated by the George Mateljan Foundation. It listed the serving size, food source, caloric value, daily percent value, amount, and the rating for nutrient-density. It classifies the foods as good, very good, and excellent, according to the daily value in percentage (greater than 25%, 50%, and 75% respectively) or percent daily value and density. The major sources are dried sunflower seeds, and mustard greens while the very good sources are almonds and spinach.





Vitamin E Benefits For Your Health

It serves as an antioxidant. It protects damage to body tissues due to substances known as free radicals. Free radicals are dangerous to organs tissues, and cells. It is believed that free radicals are partly responsible for some conditions associated with aging.

Vitamin E is needed by the body to help strengthen the immune system against bacteria and viruses. Vitamin E is also required to produce red blood cells. The body is able to utilize vitamin K as a result. It also helps to expand blood vessels and prevent blood clots within them.

Vitamin E helps to increase interaction among cells. It helps the cells to perform many important functions.

Vitamin E content just like any other natural food is lost during cooking, commercial processing, storage, and cooking. When exposed to air a certain amount is lost. The processing of wheat commercially from which most baked goods, breads, and pastas are made, takes away half of the vitamin E content. For this reason, vegetable oils need to be preserved in well-capped containers.





There is no documented evidence of side effects of Vitamin E from food alone. However, a lot of scientists are of the opinion that taking 15 mg of alpha-tocopherol from food per day without increasing the cholesterol level would be very difficult.

Medical practitioners recommend a minimum 5 servings of vegetables and fruits daily for healthy living because of the potential benefits of vitamin E from food and the dangerous side effects of vitamin E supplements.

Benefits of Vitamin E for Aromatherapy Topical Use

Vitamin E has several benefits when applied externally but the primary reason that vitamin E is added to aromatherapy skincare products (and used in massage oils) is its value as an anti-oxidant. Anti-oxidants prevent the formation of free radicals in the body, a group of atoms that can cause cell damage and contribute to the aging process. Vitamin E also helps to repair tissues, reduce scarring, strengthens capillary walls, and promotes healthy skin.