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Vitamin E....Should You Be Taking It?

Vitamin E is your body's principal fat-soluble antioxidant.

It resides in fat-containing body components such as cell membranes and cholesterol and will protect against different types of oxidants.

Vitamin-E, along with vitamin C are absolutely essential for life. In fact some claims have been made that it is close to becoming the 'magic bullet'.

It is one of the most important antioxidants you can take along with being an essential nutrient.

Want to look younger? Of course you do, well it promotes healthy skin and prolongs the life of red blood cells exposed to sunlight.

If you are a big fan of fried food,(cooking with polyunsaturated vegetable oil) then your fat intake is high. Unfortunately these fats are prone to oxidation. So, to prevent that, the need for vitamin-E is increased greatly.

Here is an interesting point. In a recent study it was found that half of cardiologists were taking Vitamin-E. Hmmm.... that tells you something!

How Much Do You Need?

Well the typical American diet will contain a measly 8IU. Currently the typical RDA is around 15IU. Even that is thought to be far below the amount needed to reduce any risk of heart disease.

Based on various studies the optimal amount seems to be 400IU daily. However it is thought that many people would benefit from an even higher dose. Caution here, an excess amount can increase the risk of a stroke.

Good sources of Vitamin-E are

Fats
Liver
Green Leafy Vegetables
Wheat Germ
Nuts
Corn Oil

Try and get a good balanced diet of vitamin E through food and supplements.

See also magnolia bark

Caution if you're buying vitamin E, make sure the bottle you pick up states that it's "complete."

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that compounds in E called tocotrienols have the greatest cholesterol-lowering, disease-fighting punch--and not all E capsules have them. (Most have only the more common E compounds, called tocopherols.)

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