Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
Requirements:
Daily optimal intake:
Labs:
- RBC hemolysis in H2O2: acceptable level < 10%
- Serum tocopherol: acceptable level > 0.7 mg./100 dl.
Food Sources:
- Almonds 1/4 cup (12.7 I.U.)
- Cod liver oil 1 Tbl. (3.9 I.U.)
- Corn oil 1 Tbl. (4.8 I.U.)
- Flax oil 1 Tbl. (7.5 I.U.)
- Hazelnuts 1/4 cup (12.0 I.U.)
- Peanuts 1/4 cup (4.9 I.U.)
- Peanut butter 2 Tbl. (3.8 I.U.)
- Pecans 1/4 cup (12.5 I.U.)
- Safflower oil 1 Tbl. (7.9 I.U.)
- Sunflower oil 1 Tbl. (12.7 I.U.)
- Sunflower seeds 1/4 cup (26.8 I.U.)
- Wheat germ 1/4 cup (6.4 I.U.)
- Wheat germ oil 1 Tbl. (37.2 I.U.)
- Wild purslane (leafy veg) 1 cup (9.9 I.U.)
Signs and Symptoms of Deficiency:
- Beta thalassemia
- BPH (Benign prostatic hypertrophy)
- Cataracts
- Cystic fibrosis
- Decreased clotting time
- Dry skin
- Easy bruising
- Eczema
- Elevated heavy metals
- Elevated indirect bilirubin
- Fibrocystic breasts disease
- Growing pains
- Hot flashes
- Osgood-Schlatter disease
- PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome)
- Poor wound healing
- Psoriasis
- Sickle cell anemia
Causes of Deficiency:
Adverse Effects and Toxicity:
- In diabetes and rheumatic heart disease, start with low doses
(100 I.U./day) and build slowly
- Prolonged blood clotting time at 1800 I.U. per day (may
interfere with vitamin K)
- The following may appear in doses >1,200 I.U. per day but
are completely reversible with decreased dosage:
Diarrhea
Fainting
Flatulence
Headache
Heart palpitations
Hypertension
Increased triglycerides
Nausea
There is no well-documented toxicity of vitamin E in doses
1,200 I.U. per day.
Drug/Nutrient Interactions:
- Iron binds vitamin E and
inactivates it
- May enhance the effect of griseofluvin
- Anticonvulsants used long term causes a deficiency of vitamin E
- May enhance the effectiveness of AZT and reduce its
toxicity
- May reduce the severity of tardive dyskinesia caused by
phenothiazines
- Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids
increase the requirement for vitamin E
- Lessens lung fibrosis of bleomycin
- Synergistic with selenium
- Vitamin A prevents oxidation of vitamin
E
- Vitamin B 6 may enhance the effect of
vitamin E
- Clofibrate may lead to a relative deficiency in vitamin E due to a decrease in lipoprotein carriers caused by the drug
- Prevents cardiotoxicity of adriamycin
- Lessens pulmonary toxicity of amiodarone
- Anticoagulants are enhanced and potentiated by large doses of vitamin E
- Cholestyramine causes malabsorption of vitamin E
- Colestipol decreases absorption of vitamin E
- Isoniazid decreases absorption of vitamin E
- Mineral oil long term causes fat soluble vitamin deficiency, including vitamin E
- Probucol, by decreasing levels of triglycerides and cholesterol, indirectly decreases vitamin E
- Improves Zidovudine (AZT) therapeutic effectiveness
- Potentiates warfarin and may increase risk of hemorrhage
Biochemical Functions:
- Aids in prevention of lipofuscin
- Antioxidant
- Enhances immune function at moderate dose, but may inhibit at
large dose
- Increases HDL
- Inhibits platelet aggregration
- Stabilizes cell membranes
Clinical Indications:
Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).