The Benefits of Vitamin E :: essays research papers

The benefits of vitamin E are now fairly wellestablished. Out of a controversial past it hasbecome swooning that vitamin E plays importantroles as an antioxidant, in your immunesystem, in preventing heart disease and evenin helping prevent malignant neoplastic disease. As if this wasntenough, the inquiry continues into otherbeneficial effects that vitamin E may have.Its not particularly easy to come by howevermeaning if you want to contract all the benefits youprobably should consider a supplement toyour diet.Vitamin E has many uses. Vitamin E plays animportant role as an antioxidant. This means that itis important in preventing the disconfirming effects offree radicals which are by-products of many radiation diagram body processes. Vitamin E can worksalongside the other important antioxidants, vitaminC and beta-carotene.It is only relatively recently that the benefits ofvitamin E in preventing heart disease have beenwell proven despite it being suspected since the1940s. Studie s have shown that taking regularvitamin E, every through diet or supplements canhave quite dramatic effects to lower your risk ofheart disease. In addition to its onuseffects, there have been other studies which haveindicated that vitamin E can help stop theprogression of heart disease which has alreadybeen established. Another way in which it acts isto help prevent severe blood clots which can insome cases be highly dangerous. So all aroundvitamin E can bring home the bacon some great benefits againstheart disease. It has been known for some time that vitamin Ecan boost the immune system. The antioxidanteffects of vitamin E help the immune reaction, plainlyin addition vitamin E works to protect cellmembranes against being penetrated by attackingmicrobes.The idea that vitamin E might help prevent cancercame from observations that people with canceroften have low levels of vitamin E. So the questionthat needs answering is - does one cause theother? Do low levels of vitamin E make peoplemore likely to develop cancer, or does havingcancer cause your levels of vitamin E to drop?There is growing evidence that low levels ofvitamin E do make you more likely to developcancer. This is good news because we can dosomething about low levels of vitamin E getmore, and reduce our cancer risk. The antioxidanteffects of vitamin E seem to be what is giving thisprotection. So far there is evidence of this effect inacting against colon, cervical and breast cancersand perchance lung cancer. Another benefit cancome in patients who are receiving radiationtherapy for cancer in whom vitamin E appears tohelp reduce the side effects of treatment.For normal nerve function vitamin E is essential.