Vitamin E: How to Find the Right One For You

Something you may notice on the Health Info Blog in the coming months are more general health articles about the basics of nutrition such as how to choose the best vitamins, minerals or other supplements in any given category of a health food store's organization. These are meant to be brief, to-the-point and to provide you with what you need to know to make the correct purchasing decision when you enter a health food store.

In this article, we are discussing Vitamin E and how to find the one that is right for you!

Vitamin E is a supplement that a lot of people get confused about because of the way that pharmacies sell Vitamin E, particularly its synthetic form. Vitamin E is actually a family of 8 chemical substances that naturally occur together in nature. Yes, it is true that the most prevalent and relevant of them is d-alpha tocepherol and this is what most natural health products proclaiming to be Vitamin E are made of, but the reality is this: when has seperating natural substances from their God-given balance every truly benefitted us in the long-term? That's not even to mention the fact that we lose a whole host of benefits provided by all of the other natural tocepherols and tocotrienols when we take a “non-mixed” Vitamin E.

The best vitamin E products on the market are those that have balanced mixes of all members of the Vitamin E family and particularly emphasize levels of gamma-tocepherol, which is known for its antioxidant and major anti-inflammatory factors, particularly instances of arthritic conditions.

Not everyone needs to take extra Vitamin E, particularly people who take a multivitamin daily that contains it. Be sure to stick to the range guidelines on this one and go for a maximum of 800IU per day from all sources combined.

This article was written by Nakita Valerio, B.A, CSN, BMSA Technician.

Nakita is a staff contributor for the Optimum Health Vitamins blog.