Is Vitamin E Good For A Diabetic?

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin stored in the fat tissues of your body. This vitamin is widely available both in standalone supplements and as components of multi-vitamin supplements. Vitamin E is also found naturally in foods such as eggs, avocados, whole-grain pastas and breads, spinach, olive oil, peanuts and lentils. This vitamin may offer some benefits for diabetics.

Blood Circulation

Vitamin E may help improve blood circulation in diabetics, which may improve the delivery of minerals, vitamins and oxygen necessary for proper cellular function. This vitamin may prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins, which are substances that carry cholesterol through the bloodstream. Low-density lipoprotein oxygen deprivation may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, a common complication of diabetes, according to Phyllis Balch, C.N.C., author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing."

Antioxidant

Antioxidants are substances that may help prevent free radical molecules in your body from causing damage to healthy bone, muscle tissue and organ cells. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, states Balch. Free radicals are unstable molecules that are derived from environmental toxins, food chemicals, alcohol, tobacco smoke and other toxins. Diabetics may have higher levels of free radicals than non-diatics, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Prevention

Although vitamin E may offer benefits for diabetics, evidence supporting the ability of this vitamin to prevent diabetes is lacking. In a study published in the "Diabetes Journal," 19,347 non-diabetic women were given 600 IU of vitamin E daily, and 19,369 were given a placebo. After 10 years, 827 of those given vitamin E had developed type-2 diabetes, compared to 869 of those given a placebo. The study concludes that vitamin E has no significant benefit for diabetes prevention in women.

Considerations

Recommended vitamin E doses for disease treatment and prevention typically range between 400 and 800 IU per day, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. However, if you take anticoagulant medications, avoid taking more than 200 IU of this vitamin Per day, recommends Balch. Increasing your vitamin E intake may also interfere with the absorption and activity of certain medications, including some blood pressure medications, antidepressants and anti-psychotic medications.