What are the benefits of vitamin E?

Si sigues una dieta equilibrada y sana, es probable que estés obteniendo todos los beneficios de la vitamina E que tu cuerpo necesita.

Dietitians Helen Bond and Clare Thornton-Wood from the British Dietetic Association (BDA) explain what vitamin E is and why your body needs it.

¿Qué es la vitamina E?

Como la mayoría de las vitaminas, la vitamina E es un compuesto liposoluble. Las vitaminas liposolubles se absorben con las grasas de la dieta y se almacenan en el tejido adiposo y el hígado.

Beneficios de la vitamina E

Thornton-Wood says one of vitamin E’s key roles is as an antioxidant, helping protect your body’s cells from damage caused by unstable molecules - known as free radicals.

"These are produced by pollutants such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, and UV rays from the sun, and also by your body itself when food is digested," she explains.

"For this reason, vitamin E is important for maintaining a healthy immune system and overall health and wellbeing."

¿Consumo suficiente vitamina E?

Like all things good for you, vitamin E is found in many healthy foods. If your body is not getting enough vitamin E - it's usually linked to a poor diet.

Bond notes that most people are able to get enough vitamin E in their diet.

"It can also be stored in the body, so it's not essential to be consumed in large amounts every day," she says. "So, a deficiency is rare in this country, even in people with a chronic malabsorption of fats - a condition where your body can't absorb fats properly."

In the UK it is recommended adults consume 3-15 milligrams of vitamin E daily.

¿Qué alimentos contienen vitamina E?

"It is not difficult to obtain all the vitamin E benefits you need each day from eating a balanced diet," she adds. "Any not utilised that day can be stored by your body for future use."

¿Es posible la carencia de vitamina E?

Aunque la deficiencia de vitamina E no es probable, hay algunas personas más propensas a la deficiencia de vitamina en general y que necesitan una mayor ingesta de vitamina E.

Thornton-Wood explains that vitamin E deficiency is rare and is generally linked to diseases where digestion or absorption of fat is an issue - such as in Crohn's disease and cystic fibrosis.

"In extreme cases a lack of vitamin E can cause damage to your nerves and muscles," she says. "This could result in loss of feeling in your arms and legs, weakness of your muscles and issues with your vision.

"La falta de vitamina E también podría provocar una función inmunitaria debilitada".

¿Necesito tomar suplementos de vitamina E?

Vitamin E supplements are generally not necessary for most people. Thornton-Wood advises that vitamin E is much better obtained from food.

"This will then provide a range of other nutrients such as fibre, and additional vitamins and minerals," she says.

Bond añade que, aunque se han sugerido beneficios para la salud relacionados con dosis elevadas de vitamina E, el jurado aún no ha decidido si es necesario tomar suplementos de vitamina E.

She notes: "High doses of vitamin E have been implicated in promoting health and protecting against many health conditions including Alzheimer's disease.

"Pero hasta ahora no hay suficientes pruebas concluyentes de que sea esencial tomar altas dosis de suplementos de vitamina E cada día. En su lugar, el esfuerzo debe centrarse en seguir una dieta sana, equilibrada y variada, e incluir abundantes alimentos que sean naturalmente ricos en vitamina E."

Efectos secundarios de la vitamina E

Como todas las cosas en la vida, se puede acabar teniendo demasiada vitamina E, aunque es extremadamente raro.

Thornton-Wood warns that extreme amounts of vitamin E can increase your chance of bleeding because they reduce your blood’s ability to clot properly. For this reason, if you are about to have surgery - you should not be taking vitamin E supplements.

"People on other medicines should always consult a pharmacist before taking dietary supplements," says Thornton-Wood. "In particular, vitamin E can interfere with the action of drugs such as warfarin - a type of blood thinner - and also the action of some chemotherapy drugs."