The Importance of Vitamin E - Essay Example

The Importance of Vitamin E" is an excellent example of a paper on food and nutrition.
Vitamin E is a group of essential compounds in the body made of tocotrienols and tocopherols. The vitamin is fat-soluble and makes a perfect solution in fat. Vitamin E is found in many foods including eggs, vegetables, wheat oil, meat, cereals, and corn oil. The vitamin can also be accessed as a supplement through medical prescriptions.

Essential functions in the body

Vitamin E is used to treat Vitamin E deficiency particularly in people with genetic disorders. Vitamin is also vital in treating heart and blood diseases especially among the elderly. In particular, Vitamin E is essential in preventing heart attack, chest pain, leg pain caused by blocked arteries, and stabilizing blood pressure. It also treats diabetes together with the various complications associated with the disease. Vitamin E also prevents different kinds of cancer including oral and lung cancer associated with smokers (Yusuf 160). The vitamin also nourishes the nervous system and the brain. In women, Vitamin E prevents complications related to late pregnancy and high blood pressure.

Side effects of too much or too little in the body

Too much Vitamin E is harmful to the body since it causes the blood to thin out. Thinning out of blood poses a risk of internal bleeding and affects the rate of blood clotting. Additionally, high amounts of Vitamin E increase the chances of death resulting from cardiovascular diseases. When taken in little amounts, Vitamin E has a series of side effects that cause abnormalities and illnesses. Too little of the vitamin is associated with numbness particularly in toes, hands, and feet. Low amounts of Vitamin E also cause body weakness and an individual finds it hard to control his or her movements or somebody's organs (Yusuf 156).

The recommended amounts for the body

Vitamin E is helpful to the body only when taken in the right amounts. Intake of Vitamin EW should be according to a medical practitioner’s prescription. The amount of Vitamin to be taken varies with age and the health condition of an individual. Infants between the age of 1-12 months should take 4 to 5 grams of Vitamin E daily. Children at the age of 1-8 years can take 7 grams of the vitamin. Children at the age of 9-13 years should take 11 grams of Vitamin daily (Yusuf 154). Persons of ages 15 years and older should take 15 grams of Vitamin E daily.