What Are the Benefits of Vitamin E?

The benefits of vitamin E include a healthy heart and respiratory system, improved circulation, improved metabolism, an improved immune system, and anti-oxidant protection from harmful free radicals in the body. Antioxidants found in vitamin E help to slow the damage that free radicals can cause to cells and cell membranes. Discovered in 1922, vitamin E is an important vitamin necessary for the proper functioning of various organs in the human body. When applied to the skin, vitamin E can provide moisture, protection, and healing.

A fat soluble vitamin, vitamin E is more easily absorbed into the body when eaten with foods that contain fat. It can be found in nuts, leafy green vegetables, vegetable oils, sweet potatoes, avocados, and many other foods. Eggs, canned tuna, and salmon also contain high amounts of vitamin E. This vitamin is made up of eight related compounds, known as tocopherols, of which alpha-tocopherol is the most common and most easily absorbed by the human body.

The antioxidant benefits of vitamin E may help patients with Alzheimer's disease by slowing down the process of memory loss in those who have a moderately severe form of this disease. Other benefits of vitamin E include a decreased risk of ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot, a decreased chance of nerve damage caused by certain types of chemotherapy, and shorter duration and relief from the pain of menstruation, if taken two days prior and three days after bleeding begins. The advance of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is slowed when vitamin E is taken in combination with vitamin C, beta-carotene, and zinc.

More health benefits of vitamin E include a significant improvement of symptoms in people with Huntington's disease, decreasing brain and heart bleeding in premature babies, improving strength and physical performance in older people, and reduction of high blood pressure during pregnancy. Those people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have experienced reduced levels of pain when taking vitamin E along with their standard treatments. Some studies indicate that regular 200 international units (IU) oral doses of vitamin E taken for a period of 10 years may help to prevent death as a result of bladder cancer.

When used externally, vitamin E can be applied to the hair and scalp to promote healthier hair by providing moisture, helping to eliminate breakage and to relieve the symptoms of dandruff. Other benefits of vitamin E include its penetration of the skin underneath scars or burns on the surface to help in blocking free radicals to aid in the healing. More collagen is produced and skin tends to become more elastic when this vitamin supplement is a applied directly or in creams and lotions containing vitamin E. Through new collagen production and support of existing skin cells, this supplement also reduces wrinkles and other factors that may lead to wrinkles in the skin. Brown spots on the skin caused by free radicals or poor liver function can also be lightened through increased cell regeneration.