Vitamin E And Food,Health

In foods, the most abundant sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils such as palm oil , sunflower , corn , soybean , and olive oil . Nuts , sunflower seeds , seabuckthorn berries, kiwifruit , and wheat germ are also good sources.Other sources of vitamin E are whole grains , fish , peanut butter , goats milk, and green leafy vegetables .Although originally extracted from wheat germ oil, most natural vitamin E supplements are now derived from vegetable oils, usually soybean oil.The content of Vitamin E for rich sources follows:

Wheat germ oil (215.4 mg/100 g)
Sunflower oil (55.8 mg/100 g)
Almond oil (39.2 mg/100 g)
Hazelnut (26.0 mg/100 g)
Walnut oil (20.0 mg/100 g)
Peanut oil (17.2 mg/100 g)
Olive oil (12.0 mg/100 g)
Peanut (9.0 mg/100 g)
Pollard (2.4 mg/100 g)
Corn (2.0 mg/100 g)
Asparagus (1.5 mg/100 g)
Oats (1.5 mg/100 g)
Chestnut (1.2 mg/100 g)
Coconut (1.0 mg/100 g)
Tomatoes (0.9 mg/100 g)
Carrots (0.6 mg/100 g)
Goat's milk (0.1 mg/100ml)

As of 2009 , human trials and surveys that have investigated potential association of vitamin E intake with incidence of cancer remain generally inconclusive. Antioxidants such as vitamin E help protect against the damaging effects of free radicals, which may contribute to the development of chronic diseases such as cancer.Vitamin E also may block the formation of nitrosamines , which are carcinogens formed in the stomach from nitrites consumed in the diet.It also may protect against the development of cancers by enhancing immune function.Some evidence associates higher intake of vitamin E with a decreased incidence of prostate cancer (see ATBC study) and breast cancer .Recent studies have found that increased intake of vitamin E, especially among smokers may be responsible for an increase in the incidence of lung cancer, with one study finding an increase in the incidence of lung cancer by 7% for each 100 IU of vitamin E taken daily.

Antioxidants are being studied to determine whether they can help prevent or delay age-related growth of cataracts, a clouding of the tissue of the lens of the eye.Observational studies have found that lens clarity, which is used to diagnose cataracts, was better in regular users of vitamin E supplements and in persons with higher blood levels of vitamin E. A controlled trial of high doses of vitamins C and E and beta carotene found no effect on the risk of developing cataracts.Similarly, a trial using vitamin E alone found that vitamin E supplementation produced no change in the risk of developing cataracts or the rate of progression of existing cataracts.

A 2007 study published in the European Journal of Ophthalmology found that, along with other treatments for glaucoma , adding alpha-tocopherol appeared to help protect the retina from glaucomatous damage.

Preliminary research has led to a widely held belief that vitamin E may help prevent or delay coronary heart disease , but larger controlled studies have not shown any benefit.Vitamin E may help prevent or delay coronary heart disease by limiting the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol.Vitamin E also may help prevent the formation of blood clots, which could lead to a heart attack.

Vitamin E is widely used as an inexpensive antioxidant in cosmetics and foods.Vitamin E containing products are commonly used in the belief that vitamin E is good for the skin; many cosmetics include it, often labeled as tocopherol acetate, tocopheryl linoleate or tocopheryl nicotinate.

Vitamin E is often claimed by manufacturers of skin creams and lotions to play a role in encouraging skin healing and reducing scarring after injuries such as burns on the basis of limited research, but the weak evidence of a benefit of silicon gel sheeting with or without added Vitamin E is limited by the poor quality of the research. One study found that it did not improve or worsen the cosmetic appearance in 90% of patients, with a third developing contact dermatitis .

[From wiki]