Tag Archives: vitamin e

Use Vitamin E in Foods and Skincare: Glowing Skin

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vitamin e foodsBy Jacqueline Reilly

The famous vitamin E is renowned for combating aging by keeping joint degeneration at bay and increasing eye and heart health. What is not so well known is that vitamin E can help aging skin to retain its smoothness, moisture and beauty.

Research from the World Congress of Public Health and Nutrition reports that more than 90% of Americans fall below the daily recommended amount of vitamin E.  The recommended daily allowances are provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and for vitamin E it’s 15 milligrams per day.

The secret to vitamin E’s importance for both internal health and external beauty is similar to that of the other antioxidant vitamins (A and C) — their ability to undo the “free radical” damage that causes skin to develop lines and lose elasticity and firmness.

Free radicals are damaging molecules that come from a reaction of oxygen inside the body.  They come from pollution, smoke, medications, infection, stress, toxic chemicals, a poor diet, and also as a byproduct of normal digestion and metabolism.

“Anti-oxidants (or anti oxygen substances) such as vitamins E, C and A can help to defend the body against free radical damage and repair it.  These nutrients can assist to create skin that is firm and luminous, and incorporating both nutritional and topical approaches can be of benefit.

Topical Vitamin E in Dermatology

Vitamin E is a popular skin treatment because of its ability to stop reactive oxygen molecules from altering the formation of collagen.  Collagen is the main protein in connective tissue, bone and other key tissues in the body.  Vitamin E also maintains the elasticity in cellular spaces that provide the balance necessary to preserve skin moisture.

A dramatic example of vitamin E’s effectiveness for skin health comes from a study done at Ohio State University.  Scientists there found that one particular form of Vitamin E called ‘tocotrienol’ could significantly reduce the amount of damage caused by burns. They concluded that “This model (research) shows that if the level of tocotrienol in the skin is increased five-fold within the first six to twelve hours after a burn, subsequent burn damage will be reduced by at least 50 percent.”

Topical Vitamins Can Boost Beautiful Skin

In addition to Vitamin E, Vitamins C and A are also used in modern skincare to boost skin health and smoothness. In fact, all three vitamins work together to promote the production of collagen. As noted by Leslie Kenton in her best-selling book “The Skin Revolution”, Vitamin C is essential and plays an important role in a transformation in your skin cells, taking up the important amino acid, proline, and using it to make new collagen.”

Does Diet Matter?

What a person eats can have a great affect on their skin’s appearance.  It is important to consume an antioxidant-rich diet to ensure the cells are well guarded against the ravaging effects of free radicals. Avoid refined ingredients such as white flour and sugar, which cause the collagen fibers (which should be present in tidy bundles) to tangle and become crossed up.  The result can be lines, wrinkles and aging skin.

A diet featuring quality proteins like fish and grass-fed meats, seasonal vegetables and fruits, and healthy fats such as olive oil, is recommended for its richness in the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E. 

Boosting Your Vitamin E Intake

Foods which contain good amounts of Vitamin E include nuts, seeds, avocado, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, butternut squash, olive oil, trout and kiwi fruit. Try if possible to buy organic fruits and vegetables, since recent studies have shown they contain significantly higher levels of antioxidants than conventionally grown produce. They also contain less heavy metals, and since they are pesticide-free, they help reduce the skin’s toxic burden.

Vitamin E can be a great part of one’s skincare routine, and there are an abundance of skincare products in natural food stores that contain this fat-soluble powerhouse.

Combine a nutritional approach with a daily skincare routine, to give the skin all the nutrients it needs to glow from within. If a person has very sensitive skin, it’s possible that topical vitamins in skincare products can be an irritant.  In this case, test a small amount of any product and wait several hours before using it liberally.  For all the beautifying benefits it provides, be sure to add vitamin E-rich foods to your diet.

This natural health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a publisher of nutrition articles and supplier of natural remedies since 2002. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes Sleep Minerals II, the effective natural sleep aid with calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D, and also Joints and More, the natural solution for joint relief, arthritis, aches and pains, stronger hair and nails and more energy.

Surprising Health Benefits of Body Fat

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benefits of body fatGreetings to you,

There are certainly some surprising benefits of body fat.  Having some body fat helps in maintaining the health of the body.  Read on to learn some key ones.

One example is that having some body fat helps one to absorb and store the vital fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.  It also cushions the organs and protects them.

Fat helps the body store energy, helps keep the body warm, and is the raw material for making all of our hormones.  In an article from the journal “Endocrinology – An Integrated Approach” (endocrinology deals with the glands and hormones), the author writes that all hormones are made of fats such as cholesterol.  This includes estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, adrenal gland hormones, vitamin D, and the sleep hormone melatonin.

Eating healthy fats with our meals can play a vital role in helping us sleep better and achieve greater health.  Milk is well-known for its positive effects on inducing sleep, and dairy foods contain beneficial fats (although for some, fermented dairy such as yogurt is easier to digest). Dairy is also high in the sleep nutrients calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.  The best fats to eat are nutrient rich foods like eggs, natural butter and cheese, salmon, sardines, cod liver oil, avocados and coconut oil.

This health news on the benefits of body fat is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II.  Sleep Minerals II contains calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and zinc in a softgel, mixed with natural rice bran oil for complete absorption.

A review of Sleep Minerals II on InsomniaReport says: “Nutrition Breakthroughs Sleep Minerals II seems like a decent product. It is made from natural ingredients and gives users a boost of important vitamins. It is also priced well, as it is in the price range of other sleep aid medications, but it can last twice as long depending on how many capsules are taken per night.”

To your good health,

Jobee Knight
Nutrition Breakthroughs
Maker of Sleep Minerals II

Top Vitamin E Health Benefits and Foods With It

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vitamin e foodsVitamin E is a health-giving, disease preventing vitamin that is found in many foods such as almonds, leafy greens, sunflower seeds, eggs, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil and rice bran oil.

Studies are showing that vitamin E health benefits include strengthening the heart, assisting in preventing eye disease, boosting immune function and enhancing muscle health.  A stronger heart and immunity can also support better sleep and help remedy insomnia.

The top three antioxidant vitamins are Vitamin E, C and A. An “antioxidant” is a nutrient that counteracts and neutralizes the harmful effects of oxygen in the body. These “oxidative” effects contribute to aging and disease and are caused by an unhealthful diet, air pollution, smoking, drinking, and also by the normal processes of digestion and metabolism.

Vitamin E is a key player in the fight for a healthy heart. A study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that men who consumed higher amounts of vitamin E had a lower risk of heart disease. This benefit occurred with 60 to 100 international units (IU) per day, although the amount often used for disease prevention is 400 IU daily.

The health of the red blood cells is vital as they carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. In a study from the journal “Nutrition Research”, the breakdown of red blood cells was decreased by 38% in adults that took 300 milligrams of vitamin E daily for four months. Levels of vitamin E in the blood increased significantly and cellular oxygen stress was lowered by 47%.

The University of Hong Kong did a study on how vitamin E benefits immunity, which showed that there’s a specific requirement for vitamin E in immune cells. The vitamin was demonstrated to strengthen immunity and help immune cells to flourish.

Vitamin E health benefits for sleep were discovered in a recent study from the journal of Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation.  It was found to be a natural alternative to estrogen therapy and an effective remedy for hot flashes and night sweats.

The researchers found there were significant improvements in the hot flash severity score after women took a 400 IU vitamin E (in a softgel cap) daily for 4 weeks. They concluded that vitamin E is recommended for the treatment of hot flashes, which for many menopausal women is great news and an effective aid to better sleep.

Another aspect of vitamin E is that it has the potential for preventing or delaying prostate cancer in men, according to the book “Vitamin E: New Research”.

It isn’t surprising that Vitamin E is vital to the health of the muscles and enhances the ability to exercise, because the heart is essentially muscle tissue and vitamin E is known to strengthen it.

In a study from the Medical College of Georgia, it was found that exercise causes muscle cells to burn a lot more oxygen than usual, causing “oxidative” stress in muscles.  Their finding was that vitamin E is essential to rapid muscle cell membrane repair and it can also help to prevent muscle-wasting diseases.

Vitamin E foods such as nuts, leafy greens, sunflower seeds, eggs, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil and rice bran oil are great ways to get more of it, and vitamin E supplements are also beneficial to overall health.

This natural health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, a provider of health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II, which contains highly absorbable forms of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, formulated in a base of vitamin E-rich rice bran oil.

Richard P. of Parkville, Maryland says: “The Sleep Minerals are making quite a difference. I was regularly waking up at around 3:00 a.m. and after a few days use my sleep improved quite a lot. I wake up once a night to go to the bathroom, but the great thing is, I then fall back asleep and sleep several more hours. This has been a great improvement.”

For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit this page.

Studies Find Rice Bran Oil Has Many Benefits

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Rice bran oil is a heart-healthy oil that is used in cooking, salad oil and nutritional supplements.

It is extracted from the outer bran coats of rice.  It is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids that help fight disease and promote good health.

Research studies have found that this oil reduces blood pressure and cholesterol, remedies menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, strengthens the immune system and protects the retina of the eye.

Rice bran oil is rich in two types of natural vitamin E and also high in Oryzanol (a word that sounds like “Original”), which is a powerful antioxidant only found in rice bran oil.  Antioxidants protect our tissues from deterioration and help to slow the aging process.

One example of rice oil benefiting the heart health is a study done by a team of cardiovascular scientists in Japan. The 60-day study was conducted with 300 men and women and found that a combination of rice bran oil and sesame oil reduced blood pressure by 14 points and lowered cholesterol by 26%. The oil consisted of 80% rice bran oil and 20% sesame oil.

Menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia can plague women who are at pre-menopause or menopause.  In a study of menopausal women, researchers gave the participants the active component of rice bran oil in supplement form.  After four to six weeks, 90% of the women had some form of relief, with 40% claiming “excellent” improvement.  The women also experienced significantly reduced cholesterol levels.

Our immune system protects and defends us from disease in all its forms.  It is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. The main cells involved are white blood cells called “leukocytes” which create antibodies that neutralize toxins and infections.

From the journal of Phytotherapy Research (phyto refers to plants) comes a study showing that rice bran oil evokes a significant increase in antibodies that greatly enhance immune activity.

Rice bran oil can help calcium to be absorbed better into the body.  In a review article from “Progress in Lipid Research” (a lipid is a natural fat or oil), the authors write that healthy oils increase mineral utilization by enhancing the effects of vitamin D – a vitamin that works alongside calcium and magnesium.  As a result, oils such as this can help calcium to be deposited into bone and improve bone strength.

This health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II.  This sleep remedy features calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, all mixed with rice bran oil in a highly absorbable softgel.

Kimberly B. of Troy, Michigan gives her review and says: “I have been taking Sleep Minerals II for about a month now. I have tried everything out there and this supplement is amazing. I have suffered with insomnia for 2 1/2 years. I have also had restless leg syndrome my entire life and this is the first relief I’ve ever had…gone for a month now.”

For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit this page.