Despite the way it sounds – Vitamin E is not a single vitamin – it’s a whole family of eight vita- mins that are active throughout the body – each of them with unique functions.
Vitamin E is one of the most powerful anti aging nutrients there is and the reason is it’s role in fighting oxidative stress.
Your skin gets hit by a lot of oxidative stress from free radical damage and the result shows in all the obvious signs of skin aging – lines, wrinkles and sagginess.
Although we need to breathe oxygen to stay alive – oxygen can be a risky substance inside the body because it can make molecules overly reactive. These over reacting molecules are called free radicals and they attack and damage the cell structures around them – a process called oxidative stress.
Vitamin E is one of a group of key vitamins and minerals that protect the skin and other cell structures in your body from free radical damage. Some researchers believe that vitamin E is the most important member of this group of antioxidants which includes vitamin C and vitamin A.
It is this role in preventing free radical damage that has made vitamin E the focus of so much attention in recent years from nutritionists and dermatologists searching for the solution to the aging process.
Vitamin E works as an anti aging powerhouse either through your diet or when applied directly to your skin. Applied directly vitamin E protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation (also called UV light) which is one of the main cause of skin aging. There are many research studies proving beyond doubt that vitamin E applied topically to the skin prevents and repairs UV damage.
Similar studies have been done on vitamin E rich diets. Research has shown that eating a diet rich in vitamin E provides skin cell membranes with the same protection from free radical damage. Since vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin it can be stored in the body for some time but you need to keep levels topped up regularly in the diet for adequate anti aging protection
Vitamin E is more difficult than some vitamins or minerals to obtain from food sources alone. Nutritionists estimate that over 95% of Americans have a diet providing below the recom-mended dieatary level of vitamin E – currently 30 mg per day.
The best food sources are: sunflower seeds (and oil), almonds, olive oil and olives, papaya, avocado and to a lesser degree – spinach and blueberries.
Wheat is potentially an excellent source of vitamin E in food but much of the vitamin E content is destroyed by commercial processing – especially in the processing of white flour. Vitamin E is present in the wheat germ layer which is almost completely removed in most commercial flour production. Using wholemeal flour with a high wheat germ content to make bread or adding wheat germ to breakfast cereals is another way to get vitamin E through food.
Vitamin E in oils and seeds can be damaged by exposure to the air and bottles and containers should kept tightly sealed in dark cupboards to retain maximum vitamin E content. The challenge for most of us will be upping our levels of vitamin E in food to the levels required for healthy aging.
A vitamin E supplement can help give the highest level of antioxidant protection – but you need to watch what you are getting when you buy a vitamin E supplement.
The vast majority of vitamin E supplements contain only one part of the vitamin E family – a fraction of the vitamin known as alpha-tocopherol. More specifically, most supplements contain a natural form of alpha-tocopherol.
Make sure you buy a supplement with natural vitamin E. Take care to avoid any supplements containing only the synthetic form of alpha-tocopherol – which will be labelled as l-alpha tocopherol.
The maximum upper daily limit of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is 1,000 mg. Although this is a guideline based on alpha-tocopherol vitamin E – you could safely apply this upper limit to all forms of vitamin E.
Whether you choose to increase levels of vitamin E rich foods in your diet or you wish to take a vitamin E supplement – one way or another you should make sure you get enough of this important anti aging vitamin.
Source: http://www.simplyantiaging.com
Vitamin E is one of the most powerful anti aging nutrients there is and the reason is it’s role in fighting oxidative stress.
Your skin gets hit by a lot of oxidative stress from free radical damage and the result shows in all the obvious signs of skin aging – lines, wrinkles and sagginess.
Although we need to breathe oxygen to stay alive – oxygen can be a risky substance inside the body because it can make molecules overly reactive. These over reacting molecules are called free radicals and they attack and damage the cell structures around them – a process called oxidative stress.
Vitamin E is one of a group of key vitamins and minerals that protect the skin and other cell structures in your body from free radical damage. Some researchers believe that vitamin E is the most important member of this group of antioxidants which includes vitamin C and vitamin A.
It is this role in preventing free radical damage that has made vitamin E the focus of so much attention in recent years from nutritionists and dermatologists searching for the solution to the aging process.
Vitamin E works as an anti aging powerhouse either through your diet or when applied directly to your skin. Applied directly vitamin E protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation (also called UV light) which is one of the main cause of skin aging. There are many research studies proving beyond doubt that vitamin E applied topically to the skin prevents and repairs UV damage.
Similar studies have been done on vitamin E rich diets. Research has shown that eating a diet rich in vitamin E provides skin cell membranes with the same protection from free radical damage. Since vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin it can be stored in the body for some time but you need to keep levels topped up regularly in the diet for adequate anti aging protection
Vitamin E is more difficult than some vitamins or minerals to obtain from food sources alone. Nutritionists estimate that over 95% of Americans have a diet providing below the recom-mended dieatary level of vitamin E – currently 30 mg per day.
The best food sources are: sunflower seeds (and oil), almonds, olive oil and olives, papaya, avocado and to a lesser degree – spinach and blueberries.
Wheat is potentially an excellent source of vitamin E in food but much of the vitamin E content is destroyed by commercial processing – especially in the processing of white flour. Vitamin E is present in the wheat germ layer which is almost completely removed in most commercial flour production. Using wholemeal flour with a high wheat germ content to make bread or adding wheat germ to breakfast cereals is another way to get vitamin E through food.
Vitamin E in oils and seeds can be damaged by exposure to the air and bottles and containers should kept tightly sealed in dark cupboards to retain maximum vitamin E content. The challenge for most of us will be upping our levels of vitamin E in food to the levels required for healthy aging.
A vitamin E supplement can help give the highest level of antioxidant protection – but you need to watch what you are getting when you buy a vitamin E supplement.
The vast majority of vitamin E supplements contain only one part of the vitamin E family – a fraction of the vitamin known as alpha-tocopherol. More specifically, most supplements contain a natural form of alpha-tocopherol.
Make sure you buy a supplement with natural vitamin E. Take care to avoid any supplements containing only the synthetic form of alpha-tocopherol – which will be labelled as l-alpha tocopherol.
The maximum upper daily limit of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is 1,000 mg. Although this is a guideline based on alpha-tocopherol vitamin E – you could safely apply this upper limit to all forms of vitamin E.
Whether you choose to increase levels of vitamin E rich foods in your diet or you wish to take a vitamin E supplement – one way or another you should make sure you get enough of this important anti aging vitamin.
Source: http://www.simplyantiaging.com
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