VITAMIN E INTAKE CRITICAL DURING THE FIRST 1000 DAYS
Amid conflicting
reports about the need for vitamin E and how much is enough, a new analysis
published today suggests that adequate levels of this essential micronutrient
are especially critical for the very young, the elderly, and women who are or
may become pregnant
A lifelong proper
intake of vitamin E is also important, researchers said, but often complicated
by the fact that this nutrient is one of the most difficult to obtain through
diet alone. It has been estimated that only a tiny fraction of Americans
consume enough dietary vitamin E to meet the estimated average requirement.
Meanwhile, some
critics have raised unnecessary alarms about excessive vitamin E intake while
in fact the diet of most people is insufficient, said Maret Traber, a professor
in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University,
principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute and national expert on
vitamin E
"Many people
believe that vitamin E deficiency never happens," Traber said. "That
isn't true. It happens with an alarming frequency both in the United States and
around the world. But some of the results of inadequate intake are less
obvious, such as its impact on things like nervous system and brain
development, or general resistance to infection."
Some of the best
dietary sources of vitamin E -- nuts, seeds, spinach, wheat germ and sunflower
oil -- don't generally make the highlight list of an average American diet. One
study found that people who are highly motivated to eat a proper diet consume
almost enough vitamin E, but broader surveys show that 90 percent of men and 96
percent of women don't consume the amount currently recommended, 15 milligrams
per day for adults.
In a review of
multiple studies, published in Advances in Nutrition, Traber
outlined some of the recent findings about vitamin E. Among the most important are
the significance of vitamin E during fetal development and in the first years
of life; the correlation between adequate intake and dementia later in life;
and the difficulty of evaluating vitamin E adequacy through measurement of
blood levels alone.
Findings include:
Inadequate vitamin E is associated with increased infection,
anemia, stunting of growth and poor outcomes during pregnancy for both the
infant and mother.
Overt deficiency, especially in children, can cause neurological
disorders, muscle deterioration, and even cardiomyopathy.
Studies with experimental animals indicate that vitamin E is
critically important to the early development of the nervous system in embryos,
in part because it protects the function of omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA,
which is important for brain health. The most sensitive organs include the
head, eye and brain.
One study showed that higher vitamin E concentrations at birth
were associated with improved cognitive function in two-year-old children.
Findings about diseases that are increasing in the developed
world, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes, suggest that
obesity does not necessarily reflect adequate micronutrient intake.
Measures of circulating vitamin E levels in the blood often rise
with age as lipid levels also increase, but do not prove an adequate delivery
of vitamin E to tissues and organs.
Vitamin E supplements do not seem to prevent Alzheimer's disease
occurrence, but have shown benefit in slowing its progression.
A report in elderly humans showed that a lifelong dietary
pattern that resulted in higher levels of vitamins B,C, D and E were associated
with a larger brain size and higher cognitive function.
Vitamin E protects critical fatty acids such as DHA throughout
life, and one study showed that people in the top quartile of DHA
concentrations had a 47 percent reduction in the risk of developing all-cause
dementia.
"It's important
all of your life, but the most compelling evidence about vitamin E is about a
1000-day window that begins at conception," Traber said. "Vitamin E
is critical to neurologic and brain development that can only happen during
that period. It's not something you can make up for later."
Traber said she
recommends a supplement for all people with at least the estimated average
requirement of vitamin E, but that it's particularly important for all children
through about age two; for women who are pregnant, nursing or may become
pregnant; and for the elderly.
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