Vitamin E Benefits, Sources, Side Effects

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient and a natural anti-ageing agent, which helps to prevent and treat fine lines and wrinkles surfacing the skin with advancing age.

A recent study proved the benefits of vitamin E on wrinkled skin; individuals who were given supplements of vitamin E showed improved skin elasticity and tone, which improved the appearance of facial wrinkles in them. It does so by fighting the damage caused to the skin by sun, pollutants and other harmful agents.

Read more: Home remedies for face skin tightening

In addition to fighting damage, vitamin E substitutes are also used to manage dry skin and have been successfully used for the treatment and prevention of acne as well. The benefits of vitamin E for the skin are countless and it has been used in the field of dermatology since the 1950s. For the best results on dry skin, vitamin E oil can be mixed with a regular night cream or lotion. Being a natural moisturizing agent, it will help to restore natural moisture of dry skin. Thus, it is also used in the treatment of cracked skin or chapped lips.

These benefits have been confirmed by various studies. As per a clinical study published in the Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, it was demonstrated that children who received vitamin E therapy following a recent surgery developed no scars. Subjects were divided into two groups blindly, wherein one was given topical applications of vitamin E thrice daily for 15 days before the surgery and twice daily application at 30 days postsurgically; the other (control) group was given a topical petrolatum-based ointment in a similar way, at the surgical site. As compared to 0% scar formation in the vitamin E group, 6.5% subjects developed scars in the control group after a duration of six months.

This demonstrates the miraculous effects of vitamin E on your skin and encourages you to add this wonder vitamin in your daily skin care routine for a healthy and glowing skin.

As most of you are aware, nuts and seeds are renowned for their beneficial effects on eyes and are also considered to be a provenance of good eyesight and vision. These foods contain vitamin E in rich amounts, which is responsible for these protective and functional actions on the eye.

Ophthalmologists widely prescribe supplementation of vitamin E rich foods in the diet along with the addition of a daily multivitamin for preventive and protective eye care. It has also been confirmed by several studies that daily supplementation with vitamin E lowers the risk of advancing to a later stage in age-related muscular dystrophy (AMD) by 25%. The recommended dosage for these effects is 400 IU. However, the recommended daily intake of this vitamin is 22.5 IU (1 IU is equal to 0.9 mg of tocopherol).

Other studies have also evidenced that alpha-tocopherol (a component of vitamin E) along with lutein and zeaxanthin reduces the risk of developing cataracts. However, these should not be taken without a prior prescription and thorough knowledge of side effects.

Read more: How to improve eyesight

Did you know vitamin E is an essential ingredient in most of the beauty, cosmetic and hair products that you use? This can be attributed to the astounding effects of this vitamin on your body cells. While protecting body cells, vitamin E is also effective in promoting new growth and repairing damage caused to cells.

Additionally, by minimizing the damage caused by free radicals, vitamin E protects your hair from unwanted dryness and frizz, making them easily manageable.

Read more: Dry hair prevention

Its rejuvenating properties promote hair health and amplify hair growth. Let us guide you on the benefits of vitamin E for your hair and how you can make the best use of this vitamin for achieving these benefits.

Vitamin E for hair loss

Vitamin E is known to prevent hair fall or hair loss and is widely used in the process of hair regrowth in individuals suffering from hair loss. It does so by reducing oxidative stress, which is known to be the causative factor of hair loss.

Read more: Remedies for hair loss

Vitamin E for long hair

You can now have those luscious long tresses you have been dreaming of, just by adding vitamin E in your daily routine. Vitamin E enhances the health of your scalp, along with increasing the number of hair follicles and their size, which promotes effective hair growth. A better scalp circulation and flow thereby ensure that your long locks are perfectly shiny and healthy and do not get dry or frizzy as they grow more.

Read more: How to make your hair grow longer and fast

Vitamin E for healthy hair and scalp

When your hair loses its natural moisture and oils, it becomes frizzy and dry. Vitamin E helps in avoiding the loss of natural oils from your hair by forming a protective barrier or covering over your scalp. This helps in avoiding interactions with the external environment and pollutants and locking in moisture.

Along with restoring your natural hair oils, vitamin E also prevents excess oil production. These effects of vitamin E are sure to give you a healthy scalp and shiny hair.

For having your dream hair, you can add vitamin E to your diet by including the aforementioned sources. Additionally, you can also take vitamin E capsules and supplements to enhance hair, scalp and skin health. Use of skin care or hair care products which inherently contain vitamin E is also helpful. Vitamin E is commonly present in certain oils, skin lotions, creams, hair gels, shampoos and conditioners, which can be found on the label. Use of these products topically is equally effective. However, you should not use supplements and tablets unless recommended by your physician or dermatologist.

Being a potent antioxidant, vitamin E has protective actions and is effective in modulating host immune functions. Several studies demonstrate that vitamin E has beneficial effects on the host immune system and the deficiency of this vitamin is often linked with an increased prevalence of infectious diseases and a higher susceptibility to tumours.

In states of decreased cellular immunity, as a consequence of ageing or during immunocompromised states like the development of AIDS, cancer, etc, supplementation with this vitamin has been found to be highly effective. Vitamin E is also known to promote early recovery in compromised tissues receiving therapies like chemo or radiation. Due to these findings, it has been suggested that vitamin E is an essential nutrient and its supplementation is highly effective and necessary, especially during older age.

Read more: How to improve immunity

The protective and immune-boosting activities of vitamin E have already been discussed, but the results of the effects of vitamin E on cancer cells directly is still debatable. However, there is ample evidence that supplementation of vitamin E in the diet in the form of natural sources is highly cancer-protective. Then again supplementation with a specific type of vitamins in the form of pills or additional supplements is generally not recommended since the effects have not been studied well and can prove to be counteractive.

Read more: Difference between cancer and tumour

The protective functions of vitamin E and its properties to restore damage caused to body cells suggest the use of this vitamin in the prevention of progression of symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, both characterized by memory loss and reduced capability in performing daily tasks. Oxidative stress, which advances with the age, has been known to cause these age-related changes in individuals; vitamin E is known to be counteractive to oxidative stress and can thus be helpful in such patients.

It has been recognized that patients suffering from this disease have a lower concentration of vitamin E in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma, which could be responsible for the degenerating changes occurring in the body. Considering these findings, research has demonstrated that the use of vitamin E is likely to avoid the progression of symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, particularly in early stages.

The effects of this vitamin are not so pronounced in advanced stages of the disease, and it cannot reverse the symptoms or the damage caused to the brain. However, an improved ability in performing daily activities like eating, cleaning, bathing, etc has been observed among patients affected with an advanced stage dementia or AD with supplementation of vitamin E.

No side effects or toxicity have been seen with regular use of these supplements, but the patients must be carefully monitored while taking them.

(Read more: How to increase brain power)

Vitamin E has cardioprotective functions due to its abilities to reduce oxidative stress. It has been found to exceptionally help in reducing the risk of heart diseases and stroke since it helps prevent the formation of clots. Excessive clot formation or clogging of veins increases the risk of stroke and heart diseases.

However, vitamin E must not be taken in excessively high amounts since that can be counteractive.

Read more: Best cardio exercises for your heart

Hair masks are effective in enhancing hair health and soothing and nourishing the scalp. Vitamin E aids all these requirements. Here is how you can make and use your own hair mask at home.

• Combine one mashed banana and avocado with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and coconut oil. Now, add one tablespoon of honey to this to form a fine paste or mask.
• Massage this mask into your hair and scalp, with the help of your fingers. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then gently rinse off with a mild shampoo and warm water.

If you suffer from oily skin and acne, a perfect solution would be this 2-ingredient, simple homemade mask:

• Combine 1 tsp of honey with a vitamin E capsule to form a smooth paste.
• Let is sit on your face for 15 minutes and rinse well.

You will be left with glowing skin free of acne.