Science Based Wellness

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which means it neutralises the free radicals that cause cell and tissue damage. In addition your body needs vitamin E to make the red blood cells that enable blood to transport oxygen.

Your body needs vitamin E. Fortunately it is readily available. You can buy the stuff in 50 Kg (110 lb) drums from Nutrakey Industries in China. While you’re about it why not stock up on a 25 Kg (55 lb) drum of vitamin C from the same supplier?

OK, maybe I am being a little facetious. But if vitamin E is such good stuff would it do any harm to pop a few vitamin E pills just to make sure you’re getting enough?

Excess Vitamin E may lead you to an early Grave

The answer is a definite “yes”. An analysis of available data by Edgar R. Miller and other published in Annals of Internal Medicine, 4 January 2005 | Volume 142 Issue 1 | Pages 37-46 suggests that high vitamin E consumption provides no discernible health benefits and may cause premature death.

Too many Antioxidants diminish the Benefits of Exercise

It gets worse. You’re working out regularly at the gym. You know that hard exercise speeds up metabolism which causes the production of large quantities of free radicals. You protect yourself by taking supplements containing antioxidants – specifically vitamins C and E. You’re got yourself covered. Right?

Wrong?

Too many antioxidants actually diminish the benefits of exercise. This is the surprise finding of Michael Ristow and others published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 31 March 2009.

A Reality Check – Those important Micronutrients.

Here is a reality check. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E belong to a class of chemicals called micronutrients. They are called micronutrients because you need them in small quantities.

A healthy body needs a whole cocktail of micronutrients. Not all micronutrients have been identified. Even among those that have been identified, we do not know all their precise roles. Most importantly, we do not know how the different micronutrients interact. Some micronutrients may be ineffective, perhaps even harmful, unless taken in combination with others. When it comes to micronutrients the cocktail is greater than the sum of the parts.

Maybe one day we shall have a better understanding of the micronutrient cocktail. Combined with an analysis of your genome it may be possible to give you a micronutrient pill precisely tailored to your needs; a pill that delivers all the micronutrients you need in jusy the right quantities.

That day is not yet. Today in 2009, for most people, the only way you can be certain of getting a full micronutrient cocktail with the right dosages is to eat fruits and vegetables. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or does not understand the issues.

If your doctor has diagnosed a deficiency in some micronutrient and has prescribed supplements then take them. Otherwise flush the supplements down the toilet and plan on eating at least 5 different fruits and vegetables daily.

Tags: cocktail, edgar, exercise, fruit, michael, Micronutrients, miller, nutrakey, ristow, vegetables, Vitamins

This entry was posted on Monday, July 13th, 2009 at 12:58 pm and is filed under Micronutrients, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.