Vitamin E is a term used to refer to eight molecules, which are divided into two categories: Tocopherol and tocotrienols. Each category is further divided up into alpha (α), beta (β), gamma (γ), and delta (δ) vitamins. The vitamin α-Tocopherol is considered to be the ‘main’ vitamin. Vitamin E was one of the first two antioxidant compounds to be sold as dietary supplements, the second being vitamin C. It is sometimes used as the ‘reference’ antioxidant compound when fat soluble compounds are being researched. Vitamin E may function as a signaling molecule within cells and for phosphate groups. Vitamin E is an antioxidant. It may help protect your cells from damage. This essential nutrient occurs naturally in many foods. It’s also available as a dietary supplement. Sometimes, it’s in processed foods. Vitamin E is fat-soluble. This means your body stores and uses it as needed.
The method of preparing a product having high vitamin E potency which comprises subjecting soybean oil to high-vacuum unobstructed path distillation to effect separation of a Tocopherol concentrate comprising not more than 2 percent of the original oil, said Tocopherol concentrate being in its naturally occurring form in which it has relatively low vitamin E potency, and increasing the vitamin E potency of said concentrate by halo ethylating and reducing the halo ethylated product to alpha Tocopherol.
| Type | Gender | Age-Group | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Vitamin E
|
Unisex
|
All age groups
|
5.4 - 40 ng/ml
|
World Health Day, celebrated on the 7th of April every year, is sponsored by the WHO and several other health organizations. It is observed by all the member states of the World Health Organisation. This World Health Day, we're calling for action to eliminate health inequities, as part of a year-long global campaign to bring people together to build a fairer, healthier world.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that in total has 8 compounds, of which only one compound is useful to humans. This is also known as alpha-tocopherol and plays a vital role in the antioxidation process and is believed to improve the overall ageing process.
Read on to know more about its benefits, functions, and sources.
Sources:
Natural food sources contain enough amounts of this vitamin to meet normal daily requirements, and so consume the following.
Given its wide availability, deficiency is rare, but supplements may be required for premature babies with low-weight and in people with some genetic disorders. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dietitian-nutritionist.
Antioxidants: What are they?
Antioxidants are free radical scavengers known to enhance our immunity. We know that fruits and vegetables with vibrant colors are great sources of antioxidants. Many times we wish that foods that taste delicious were as healthy as these fruits and veggies. Here is something to cheer you up. The foods listed below are not only tasty but also rich in antioxidants.
Antioxidants and their sources:
Vitamin and trace element deficiencies
Fat soluble vitamins
Vitamin a (retinol)
• Found in dairy produce, eggs, fish oils, and liver.
• Deficiency causes night blindness, xerophthalmia, keratomalacia (corneal thickening) and follicular hyperkeratosis.
Vitamin d (cholecalciferol)
• Found in fish liver oils, dairy produce, and undergoes metabolism at the kidneys and the skin using uv light.
• Deficiency causes rickets (in children) and osteomalacia (in adults). Proximal muscle weakness may be evident.
Vitamin e (alpha-tocopherol)
• Widely distributed, green vegetables, and vegetable oils.
• Deficiency causes hemolytic anemia (premature infants) and gross ataxia.
Vitamin k (k 1 = phylloquinine k 2 = menaquinone)
• Widely distributed but particularly in green vegetables. Synthesized by intestinal bacteria.
• Deficiency causes coagulation defects seen as easy bruising and hemorrhage.
Water soluble vitamins
Vitamin b 1 (thiamine)
• Found in cereals, peas, beans, yeast, and whole-wheat fl our. It is an essential factor in carbohydrate metabolism and transketolation reactions.
• Deficiency causes dry beri-beri (sensory and motor peripheral neuropathy), wet beri-beri (high output cardiac failure and edema), wernicke–korsakoff syndrome.
Vitamin b 2 (ribofl avin)
• Found in whole-wheat flour, meat, fish, and dairy produce. It is a coenzyme in reversible electron carriage in oxidation–reduction reactions.
• Deficiency gives angular stomatitis (fissuring and inflammation at the corners of the mouth), inflamed oral mucous membranes, seborrhoeic dermatitis, and peripheral neuropatmhy. Drugs (e. G, isoniazid, hydralazine, penicillamine) and is also seen in alcoholism and pregnancy.
Vitamin b 12 (cyanocobalamin)
• Causes of a deficiency are numerous and include partial or total gastrectomy, crohn’s disease, ileal resection, jejunal diverticulae, blind loop syndrome, and tapeworm.
• Deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia, peripheral neuropathy, subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord depression, psychosis, and opticatrophy.
Vitamin b 9 (folic acid)
• Deficiency can be caused by poor diet, malabsorption states, coeliac disease, crohn’s disease, gastrectomy, drugs (e. G, methotrexate, phenytoin), excessive utilization (E.G, leukemia, malignancy, inflammatory disease).
• Consequences of deficiency include megaloblastic anemia, and glossitis.
Deficiency causes scurvy (perifoillicular haemorrhage, bleeding swollen gums, spontaneous bruising, corkscrew hair, failure of wound healing), anemia, and osteoporosis. Trace elements Copper
• Deficiency results in hypochromic and microcytic anemia, wilson’s disease, impaired bone mineralization, menks’ kinky hair syndrome (growth failure, mental defi ciency, bone lesions, brittle hair, anemia).
• Usually caused by copper malabsorption.
Zinc deficiency causes achondromatosis enterpathica (infants develop growth retardation, hair loss, severe diarrhea, candida and bacterial infections), impaired wound healing, skin ulcers, alopecia, night blindness, confusion, apathy, and depression.
Magnesium severe deficiency can cause cardiac arrhythmias, paraesthesia and tetany. Iodine severe deficiency can cause cretinism (children), hypothyroidism, and goiter.
Vitamin b 3 (niacin)
• Found in fish, liver, nuts, and whole-wheat flour.
• Deficiency causes pellagra): dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia.
Vitamin b 6 (pyridoxine)
• Widespread distribution, also synthesized from tryptophan.
• Deficiency causes peripheral neuropathy, convulsions, and sideroblastic anemia. Deficiency may be provoked by a number of commonly used.
Food additives are substances that are used in different foods in order to preserve them, keep their taste, or alter their texture. They are intentionally added to food in safe amounts so that people can consume their food while it is fresh and delicious. Since these additives are mostly colorless and odorless, people do not notice their presence in food. In other words, additives are used in different food items to keep them from being contaminated when they are stored. Some additives are used to prevent bacterial growth in food, to help maintain food quality, or to enhance its characteristics and textures.
Food additives are primarily used to improve the taste, appearance, and preservation of many consumer products. However, there are some disadvantages or downsides associated with it as well. This article will focus on some of the advantages as well as disadvantages of using food additives. Just go through this comprehensive piece of writing to the last word and you will know it all.
There are different types of food additives that help in the improvement or maintenance of food's nutritive value. Food additives may be broadly classified as nutritional or non-nutritional. The nutritional additives improve the nutritive value, or the value of food for growth, or for maintaining life, or for promoting the health and vigor of humans and animals, and also increase their usefulness in the production of food and feedstuffs.
Food additives are basically a requirement when it comes to keeping food safe and healthy for consumption for a long time and making sure that it tastes fresh and delicious. Food is nothing but the most basic necessity for every living creature. Having safe food that is unsullied and does not fail to serve its purpose is something we all expect. This is where food additives and preservatives come into the picture.
Food additives are primarily used to enhance the taste and aroma of food, preserve it, extend its shelf life, and add color to it. These additives are either artificial or natural and are essentially added to the food to improve or enhance its taste, texture, or, sometimes, appearance. Moreover, there are certain additives that are good for your health. These additives have no harmful effects. But there are also additives that are not good for your health. They may have adverse effects or take a toll on the consumer's body. It must be noted that most of the food additives are classified according to their uses and are kept in different categories.
Food additives are also known as food enhancers. They are used to improve or modify the taste or texture of a food. Some of the food additives are also helpful in losing weight. You must know that a number of expert dieticians approve them and prescribe them to their patients who are trying to lose weight and also keep fit at the same time. These additives help to burn the extra fat in the body like nothing else. The food additives that are helpful in losing weight do not have extra calories and are claimed to act as fat blockers.
Parents have long suspected that food additives like artificial food colors can cause hyperactivity in their children. They have been advocating for a ban on the use of these food additives since their introduction in the 1970s. However, their voices have largely been drowned out by the food industry, which has been telling them that there is no evidence to support their claims. Apart from that, a recent study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest brought this issue to light again by reporting that artificial food colors can cause hyperactivity in sensitive children.
Many processed foods contain food additives, flavor enhancers, or growth enhancers to improve the taste or preserve the food for longer periods. Food additives are necessary for most food production processes to maintain safety, quality, and improve the taste of the food. They are also needed to ensure that we have steady or uninterrupted food supply and food availability in the world. These additives, such as sweeteners, flavors, colors, preservatives, etc., make our diet rich and tasty to a certain extent. However, they have some adverse effects on health as well, especially some allergic reactions. It must be mentioned that some people are highly allergic to some of the food additives that are quite popular.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is nowadays a very common condition. In hypertension, the pressure of the blood in the arteries becomes higher than normal. It usually has no symptoms, but it can lead to a number of serious health problems, such as heart attacks and strokes. This happens when your body requires the heart to work harder than normal in order to circulate blood. It must be brought to your notice that some people are more susceptible to hypertension than others. Furthermore, if you are at an increased risk of hypertension, it is a good idea to stay away from food additives that can contribute to high blood pressure issues. It has been observed by experts that there are some food additives that can contribute to high blood pressure issues.
Food additives have long been a source of contention. While they may be necessary to make a product taste or look right, some food additives may be higher in calories than you would expect and can lead to issues like obesity. You must know that there are certain food additives that might significantly increase the calorie content and might cause weight gain.
Food additives are chemical substances added to food to preserve its flavor or enhance its taste. The advantage of using food additives is related to cost, since they make food cheaper and more affordable for the general public. The disadvantage of food additives is their potential to cause harm to your body when they are ingested. Some of them are there purely for adding taste, but other food additives are there to ensure that the food doesn't spoil and stays fresh for longer. Furthermore, we hope you enjoyed reading this blog and learned more about food additives and how they are used to keep food fresh and safe to eat.
Spinach has many important roles to play in maintaining a healthy body; various health benefits of spinach include the following:
Good eyesight:
Spinach is a rich source of beta carotene, lutein and xanthine, all of which are beneficial for eyesight. Beta carotene is supplied to the eyes by cooked spinach. It can prevent people from suffering from vitamin a deficiency, itching eyes, eye ulcers and dry eyes. This is also due to some of the anti-inflammatory properties of spinach, which can reduce the puffiness or irritation in the eyes.
Age-related macular degeneration (amd):
Amd or retinitis pigmentosa is responsible for causing blindness. It is due to the degeneration of lutein and xanthine which form a central part of the retina. According to research conducted by the oak ridge national laboratory, the consumption of spinach can result in regaining two vital pigments and effectively preventing amd. Spinach also contains a wealth of antioxidants that reduce the harmful effects of free radicals, which are known to negatively impact vision and cause age-related conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration as well.
Neurological benefits:
Several components of spinach like potassium, folate, and various antioxidants are known to provide neurological benefits to people who regularly consume them. According to neurology, folate reduces due the occurrence of alzheimer’s disease, so spinach is a very good idea for people who are at high risk of neural or cognitive decline. Potassium is an integral part of brain health as well, and it has been linked to increased blood flow to the brain, and heightened cognition, concentration, and neural activity.
Maintains blood pressure:
Spinach has a very high content of potassium and a low content of sodium. This composition of minerals is very beneficial for high blood pressure patients as potassium lowers and sodium raises the blood pressure. The folate present in spinach also contributes to the reduction of hypertension and relaxes blood vessels, while maintaining proper blood flow. By reducing blood pressure and relaxing the tension of vessels and arteries, you can reduce stress on the cardiovascular system and increase oxygenation to the body’s organ systems for optimal functionality.
Strengthens muscles:
A component of spinach, factor c0-q10, which is an antioxidant, plays an important role in strengthening muscles, especially heart muscles which continuously pump blood to all parts of the body. According to the journal of cardiovascular nursing, c0-q10 can be used to prevent and treat many cardiovascular diseases like hyperlipidemia, heart failure, hypertension and coronary heart disease.
Bone mineralization:
Spinach is a good source of vitamin k, which functions in retaining calcium in the bone matrix, thereby leading to bone mineralization. Apart from this, other minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus also help in building up of strong bones. This in turn can prevent an individual from developing osteoporosis of the bones. These minerals are also essential for maintaining healthy teeth and nails.
Reduced risk of cataracts:
The lutein and zeaxanthin present in spinach both act as strong antioxidants, thus preventing the eyes from the harsh effects of uv rays that can lead to cataracts. They also reduce the impact of free radicals, which can be a major cause of cataracts and other eye conditions.
Proper metabolic activity:
There is a reason why doctors recommend adding spinach in a significant way to your diet. The amount of protein found in spinach is impressive for any vegetable, and they are easily broken down by enzymes into amino acids that are essential to humans. The re-formed mammal proteins aid our muscle development and growth, our body’s ability to heal wounds, and provides a boost for our entire metabolism, encouraging all of our organ systems to function at their optimal level. Also recent study suggests that thylakoid found in spinach can curb cravings and hunger which can further help in weight loss.
Anti-ulcerative:
It has been found that spinach and some other vegetables have the ability to protect the mucous membrane of the stomach, thereby decreasing the occurrence of gastric ulcers. Furthermore, the glycoglycerolipids found in spinach can boost the strength of the digestive tract lining, thereby preventing any unwanted inflammation in that part of the body that can cause harm.
Prevents atherosclerosis and strokes:
Atherosclerosis is caused due to the hardening of the arteries. A pigment called lutein that is found in spinach has been shown to reduce the occurrence of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. This is due to the fact that spinach proteins tend to reduce the cholesterol and other fat deposits in the blood vessels.
Fetal development:
Folate found in spinach is needed by a growing fetus for proper development of its new nervous system. Defects like cleft palate or spina bifida may occur due to a deficiency of folate. The vitamin a contained in spinach is advised to be consumed in higher quantities by the mother. Vitamin a is required in the lung development of the fetus as well, and can be transferred during breast-feeding, so spinach consumption should be continued after birth as well.
Anti-inflammatory capacity:
There are many anti-inflammatory compounds found in spinach, more than a dozen, in fact. They are classified into the category of methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides, and spinach is one of the most powerful vegetables when it comes to reducing inflammation throughout the body. This not only means protecting the heart from dangerous inflammation and preventing cancer, but also in reducing the inflammation and associated pain from conditions like arthritis and gout, which afflict millions of people around the world.
Anti-cancer properties:
Spinach is made up of various important constituents that have been found to be promising in the treatment and prevention of various kinds of cancer. These include bladder, prostate, liver and lung cancers. Different constituents in spinach like folate, tocopherol and chlorophyll act via different mechanisms to treat and protect patients suffering from cancer.
Recent studies have revealed that spinach is very effective against aggressive prostate cancer, and this has been linked to epoxyxanthophylls, which are unique carotenoids, along with neoxanthin and violaxanthin, that directly reduce tumorous activity and the spread of cancer throughout the body.
Skin protection:
Different phytonutrients and pigments have been shown to protect the skin from the harmful rays of the sun, including uv rays. These not only protect, but also repair the damaged genes to some extent, thereby preventing skin cancer in the long run.
Protein source for infant growth:
‘popeye the sailor man’ is known for his obsession with spinach. The cartoon was deliberately aimed to convince children to eat spinach and get strong. Infants are advised to be fed with spinach, which is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. These will result in proportionate development in their essential growing stages.
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