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Physiological Effects of Vitamin E |
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Physiological Effects of Vitamin E
By: Peter T. Pugliese, MD
Posted: August 17, 2009
In the September 2009 issue of Skin Inc. magazine, Peter T. Pugliese, MD, discusses how vitamin E affects the skin in the article "Vitamin E: A Skin Care Ally." Following is more information from Dr. Pugliese regarding how the vitamin works in other bodily functions, as well.
Sometimes in life you have great and exciting experiences, one of which is discovering new things. It’s like opening a door to a new house and walking down a hallway only to find many more doors that open to wondrous rooms filled with beautiful things of all types. Vitamin E is such a discovery, and after 80 years, only parts of its function are beginning to be understood.
The absorption of vitamin E occurs in the small intestine with other lipids where it is acted on by enzymes called esterases and bile acid. Vitamin E is then absorbed into the intestinal wall, called the mucosa and, along with other lipids, are formed in little lipid spheres called micelles, in which form it enters cells known as enterocytes. In the enterocytes, the lipids, including vitamin E, are for med into structures called chylomicrons, which are then transferred from the enterocyte into the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system carries the chylomicrons into the blood stream, which delivers their contents to individual cells. After reaching the liver, the vitamin E combined with the chylomicrons is released and then bound to a protein known as alpha tocopherol transfer protein that is in the cell cytoplasm. From here, it is carried to the endoplasmic reticulum and packaged in lipoproteins of the low density type, or VLDL. The largest amount of vitamin is found in the fatty tissue, though no particular tissue is selected as a storage area, for it can be found in the adrenals, lungs, muscles and heart. The adipose tissue releases the vitamin E slowly, while the liver turns it over rapidly. As a result, the amount of vitamin E in the liver can be used as a measure of vitamin E dietary intake. The reader should note that any disorder of the pancreas or the bowel can markedly decrease the vitamin E absorption. Vitamin E is excreted mainly via the bowel of the kidneys.
Free radicals and antioxidants
The principal function of vitamin E is to protect cell membranes from oxidative damage to the unsaturated fatty acids within the phospholipid bilayer of the cell.
(Read full article here) |
Vitamin E, Omega-3 Improve Verbal Apraxia
08/17/2009
OAKLAND, Calif.—In a recent study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 97 percent of families with children with verbal apraxia reported dramatic improvements while supplementing with vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids (2009;Jul-Aug;15(4):34-43). A total of 187 children with verbal apraxia received vitamin E + polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation. A celiac panel, fat-soluble vitamin test and carnitine level were obtained in patients having blood analyzed. A common clinical phenotype of male predominance, autism, sensory issues, low muscle tone, coordination difficulties, food allergy and GI symptoms emerged. In all, 181 families (97 percent) reported dramatic improvements in a number of areas including speech, imitation, coordination, eye contact, behavior, sensory issues, and development of pain sensation. Plasma vitamin E levels varied in children tested; however, pretreatment levels did not reflect clinical response. Low carnitine (20/26), high antigliadin antibodies (15/21), gluten-sensitivity HLA alleles (10/10), and zinc (2/2) and vitamin D deficiencies (4/7) were common abnormalities. Fat malabsorption was identified in eight of 11 boys screened. Researchers characterize a novel apraxia phenotype that responds to polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. The association of carnitine deficiency, gluten sensitivity/food allergy, and fat malabsorption with the apraxia phenotype suggests that a comprehensive metabolic workup is warranted. Appropriate screening may identify a subgroup of children with a previously unrecognized syndrome of allergy, apraxia and malabsorption who are responsive to nutritional interventions in addition to traditional speech and occupational therapy. Controlled trials in apraxia and autism spectrum disorders are warranted. |
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Potential for Autistic Speech |
Omega-3, vitamin E mix shows potential for autistic speech
By Stephen Daniells, 19-Aug-2009
A combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E may lead to speech improvements in autistic children with verbal disorders, suggests a new study.
Verbal apraxia is a speech disorder common in autism, and an estimated 50 per cent of children with autism have apraxia. Furthermore, many thousands more are reported to have apraxia but are not autistic.
According to new research published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, daily supplements of omega-3 and vitamin E were associated with improvements in speech, imitation, eye contact, and behaviour.
Claudia Morris from the Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland (CHRCO) and Marilyn Agin from the Saint Vincent Medical Center in New York recruited families with experiences of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E supplementation. The majority of families used doses of 800 IU of vitamin E, while the average omega-3 consumption was 280 to 840 mg DHA and 695 to 2,085mg EPA.
The ratios and dosages determined through the work with the study led to a patent for Dr Morris through the CHRCO (US patent # 2008/002216). The patented formulation is licensed exclusively to Illinois-based NourishLife from CHRCO.
Kate Bolton, VP of speech nutrients at NourishLife, told NutraIngredients: “The results of the study are significant in that 97 per cent of the participants with apraxia and/or on the autism spectrum reported dramatic improvements while taking a combination of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.
“The study represents the largest summary of children with apraxia to date,” she added.
“Antidotal evidence had previously shown that omega-3 can help children with apraxia and those known as ‘late talkers’. The researchers discovered that they symptoms presented by children with apraxia mirror those of vitamin E deficiency,” said Bolton. “The addition of high dose vitamin E with omega-3 fatty acids is the breakthrough.”
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Antioxidants Pose No Melanoma Threat |
Antioxidants Pose No Melanoma Threat
Despite earlier study, new report finds no risk from common vitamin and mineral supplements.
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamins C, E and other antioxidants do not increase the risk for melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, a new study found.
A recent study had suggested that the risk for melanoma was increased four-fold among women who took supplemental vitamins C and E, beta carotene, selenium and zinc. Because 48 to 55 percent of U.S. adults take vitamin or mineral supplements, the potentially harmful effects of the supplements was alarming.
"As someone who takes supplements as a preventive measure, I was happy to see that the authors [of the new study] were able to debunk the claims of the prior study," said Dr. Robin Ashinoff, a dermatologist and clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center, who was not involved with the new research.
The new report is published in the August issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
For the study, a team lead by Dr. Maryam M. Asgari, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, collected data on 69,671 women and men who participated in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study. It was designed to look at the use of supplements and the risk for cancer. At the start of the study, between 2000 and 2002, participants completed a questionnaire that included inquiries about lifestyle, medical history, diet, use of supplements and other cancer risk factors.
The researchers found that multivitamins and supplements taken over 10 years, including selenium and beta carotene, were not associated with the risk for melanoma among both women and men . . .
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