Quick Read
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin. It is an important vitamin required for the proper function of many organs in the body. It is also an antioxidant. Lack of Vitamin E occurs rarely but deficiency can cause some serious illness. Even over doses of Vitamin E will cause serious troubles.
What are the Symptoms of Vitamin E Deficiency?
Vitamin E deficiency affects the general health and skin health. Vitamin E deficiency is rare in humans. This is due to the fact that the body does not require large amounts of vitamin E to function properly and because vitamin E is available from many foods that are consumed by most of the people on a daily basis
- Nerve degeneration in the hands and feet
- Poor transmission of nerve impulses leading to a number of neurological problems including shaky movements.
- Retina degeneration
- Loss of muscle mass
- Ruptured red blood cells
- Abnormal fat deposits
- Impaired vision
- Abnormal eye movements
- Eye muscle paralysis
- Muscle weakness and poor muscle coordination, poor reflexes, poor balance
- Appearance of age spots on the skin
- In severe cases, the person may not being able to walk at all
- In more severe cases, vitamin E deficiency can compromise the function of the liver and kidneys
- Vitamin E deficiency has been associated with serial miscarriages and premature deliver in pregnant women
What Causes Vitamin E Deficiency?
- People on no fat or very low fat diets might be susceptible to a vitamin E deficiency
- Crohn’s disease and cystic fibrosis affect the normal digestion process and absorption of nutrients results in vitamin E deficiency
- Zinc deficiency can lead to low level of vitamin D in the blood
- Other individuals at risk of developing vitamin E deficiency are malnourishing individuals, older than 55 years of age, individuals under constant stress for a long period of time, individuals suffering with pancreatic, liver, gall bladder diseases and drug and alcohol abusers
Read about Health Benefits of Vitamin E
How to Overcome Vitamin E Deficiency?
- Eat well balanced diet
- In the cases where individuals have a health problems that prevents the absorption of vitamin E then vitamin E injections or supplements are recommended
What are the Symptoms of Vitamin E overdose?
Vitamin E is likely safe for most healthy people when taken by mouth or applied to the skin. Vitamin E is possibly unsafe if taken by mouth in high doses. High doses might increases the chance of death and possibly cause other serious side effects. When the dose is higher the risk of serious side effects are increase. The high doses of vitamin E can cause
- Over dose of vitamin E might increase the chance of having a serious stroke called hemorrhagic stroke, which is bleeding into the brain.
- Increase the risk for death in people with a history of stroke. People with history of stroke should avoid high doses of vitamin E
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Headache
- Blurred vision
- Rash, bruising and bleeding
- There has been some concern that taking vitamin E supplements might be harmful to the fetus when taken in early pregnancy without doctors suggestion
