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Articles
about Vitamins
Different forms of Vitamin E have varied
health effects
on the human body
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
have discovered that only one form of Vitamin E -- alpha-tocopherol
-- appears to be beneficial in protecting against bladder cancer.
Other forms of the popular vitamin, such as gamma-tocopherol (which
is consumed in much higher quantities in the United States) offers
no such protection.
The research helps explain why some studies seem to show Vitamin
E to be effective while other studies show just the opposite:
the vast majority of studies make no differentiation between the
forms of the vitamin and just lump all Vitamin E together.
Now
here's the interesting part to all this: most Americans are consuming
vast quantities of the "ineffective" Vitamin E (the
gamma form) but very little of the "good" Vitamin E
(the alpha form). That's because the ineffective form is high
in soybean oil, and soybean oil is one of the most frequently-consumed
oils in the western diet because it's cheap to produce and is
the primary oil used for the ingredient known as hydrogenated
oil or partially hydrogenated oil. Most margarine and shortening,
for example, is made with soybean oil.
The
alpha form of Vitamin E, on the other hand, is found in higher
quantities in green vegetables, almonds, sunflower seeds and safflower
oils -- foods that most Americans eat in much smaller quantities.
As a result, most people exhibit nutritional deficiencies in Vitamin
E, say the researchers: the minimum daily requirement is 15mg,
but the average American eats just 8mg. This is partly because
we eat so many milled grains that have been stripped of their
natural Vitamin E content. The whole grain of wheat, for example,
contains Vitamin E, but refined white flour has virtually none
because the germ of the grain is removed during the milling process.
Clearly,
Vitamin E is an important nutrient for good health, and it is
well known to be useful for far more than just bladder cancer.
Americans need to get more Vitamin E into their diets, and that
means eating more healthy oils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
The best sources? Wheat germ, almonds and safflower oil. It is
difficult to get enough Vitamin E through foods alone, however,
so consider adding a nutritional supplement containing "natural"
Vitamin E to your daily diet.
Overview:
ORLANDO
-- One form of vitamin E appears to offer protection against development
of bladder cancer, while a second form has no beneficial effect,
say a team of researchers led by The University of Texas M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center.
In a five-year study, which included 468 newly diagnosed bladder
cancer patients and 534 cancer-free controls, the researchers
found that high dietary intake of alpha-tocopherol, one form of
vitamin E, significantly reduced the risk of developing bladder
cancer.
"The study is not over, but my advice is that everyone should
eat a healthy diet that includes fruit, vegetables and nuts,"
says co-investigator, John Radcliffe, Ph.D., R.D., of the Department
of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Texas Woman's University.
Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/
040330084359.htm
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