Vitamin E Softgels, 100 softgels

Natural Vitamin E Complex
Vitamin E is any of several fat-soluble vitamins that are chemically tocopherols. Vitamin E is a popular and powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E is effective in preventing the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Additionally, Vitamin E is helpful in the prevention of oxidation in the lungs, where strong oxidizing agents nitrogen dioxide and ozone, components of air pollution, are particularly harmful to people exercising.

Vitamin E protects white and red blood cells, helping the body's immune system. Antioxidants, such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E, are an important part of the body’s defense against muscle damage from exercise. Strenuous exercise increases the body’s production of free radicals, which, in turn, can cause muscle damage, which manifests as swollen or painful muscles. While exercise increases the body’s natural defense against free radicals, athletes who are doing intense training may benefit from the addition of antioxidant supplements to their diets.

Cataracts are extremely common, and happen with most people as they age. A diet rich in antioxidants (Vitamin E and Vitamin C especially) may help prevent or delay the formation of cataracts, as oxidative damage appears to be a cause of their development. Vitamin E has received important attention with the release of two important Harvard Medical School studies, which showed that the addition of 100IU or more of vitamin E per day resulted in a reduction by 40% of the risk of heart disease. In these studies, 125,000 health care professionals who did not have heart disease were followed for up to eight years. The addition of at least 400IU to 800IU per day has been shown to reduce the oxidation of blood lipids, which would otherwise result in the build-up known as atherosclerosis.

Vitamin E is also a powerful antioxidant whose antioxidant properties are enhanced by adding other antioxidants (selenium is a particularly good companion, as the combination produces glutathione peroxidase, an excellent antioxidant, protection from atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.). This fact alone makes the addition of a Vitamin E supplement to your diet a good idea. If prevention of heart disease doesn't appeal to you, maybe this does: vitamin E deficiency can result in an increase of ceroid pigment deposits on the skin: age-spots. A study (a randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind study) was published which suggested that a lack of Vitamin E was a more consistent predictor of heart disease than high cholesterol levels, with results that indicated low levels of Vitamin E to be predictive of heart attacks 62% of the time, while high cholesterol was predictive only 29% of the time.

Supplement Facts:

Serving Size: One Softgel

Amount per softgel

Vitamin E 400 IU (as natural d-alpha tocopherol plus d-beta, d-gamma & d-delta tocopherols)

Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, take one softgel daily or as recommended by a health care professional.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1. What kind of tocopherol is in Ultimate Nutrition Vitamin E softgels?
Ultimate Nutrition’s Natural Vitamin E Complex contains all four members (d-alpha, dbeta, d-delta, d-gamma tocopherol) of the tocopherol family of compounds, making it more nutritionally complete. This natural form of vitamin E is the most powerful and effective form of this antioxidant because it is the easiest form for your body to absorb.

2. In what foods can Vitamin E be naturally found?
Foods that contain a significant amount of vitamin E include: nuts (including almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts) as well as sunflower seeds, corn-oil margarine, mayonnaise, cold-pressed vegetable oils, including corn, safflower, soybean, cottonseed, canola, and wheat germ (the richest one), spinach and kale, sweet potatoes, and yams.

3. Does the average diet supply optimal amounts of vitamin E?
Research suggests that considerably more vitamin E than is consumed in the average diet is necessary to prevent free radical cell damage that compromises health. In addition foods are depleted of vitamin E by processing, refining and storage. Also, today's diet conscious population tends to eliminate the salad dressings and oil rich foods that provide dietary vitamin E.

Anyone who wants better immunity and added protection against free radicals should supplement with Vitamin E. Hard training bodybuilders and athletes, especially, can wear down their body's immune system down causing sickness or infection. This is where Vitamin E comes in! Supplementing with Vitamin E can increase the strength of your immune system and the overall health of your body. Vitamin E can also ease aches, pains, and sore muscles. Vitamin E is also very good for maintaining skin elasticity and health!

Selected References:
1. Stampfer M., Hennekens C., Manson J, et.al. Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary disease in women. N Eng J Med 1993;328:1444-1449.
2. Jialal I., Grundy S. Effect of combined supplementation with alpha-tocopherol, ascorbate and beta-carotene on low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Circulation 1993;88:2780-2786.
3. S. Devaraj; B. Adams-Huet; C.J. Fuller; I. Jialal. Dose-Response Comparison of RRR- -Tocopherol and All-Racemic -Tocopherol on LDL Oxidation. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1997 Oct;17(10):2273-9.
4. Sano M, Ernesto C, Thomas RG, Klauber MR, Schafer K, Grundman M, Woodbury P, Growdon J, Cotman CW, Pfeiffer E, Schneider LS, Thal LJ. A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study. N Engl J Med. 1997 Apr 24;336(17):1216-22.
5. Traber MG, Kayden HJ. Preferential incorporation of alpha-tocopherol vs gamma-tocopherol in human lipoproteins. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Mar;49(3):517-26.
6. Shutte, Wilfred. Vitamin E Book, Keats Publishing, 1975 -7. Stephens, N. G., A. Parsons, P. M. Schofield, F. Kelly, K. Cheeseman and M. J. Mitchinson (1996). Randomised controlled trial of vitamin E in patients with coronary disease: Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study (CHAOS). Lancet 347(9004): 781-6.
8. Dekkers JC, Van Doornen LJ, Kemper HC. The role of antioxidant vitamins and enzymes in the prevention of exercise-induced muscle damage. Sports Med 1996;21(3):213-38.
9. Palmquist B, Phillipson B, Barr P. Nuclear cataract and myopia during hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Br J Ophthalmol 1984;68: 113-7.

Warning: These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet or exercise program. Some of these products are not recommended for individuals under the age of 18.

This page was last modified on Tuesday September 02, 2008