What Are The Benefits Of Vitamin E For The Knee Joints?

Vitamin E is an essential fat-soluble nutrient and antioxidant. Its primary function is to help the immune system so that it can fight off virus and bacteria to prevent illness and infections. There is limited evidence available that supplementing with vitamin E may help to decrease joint pain associated with osteoarthritis; however, more research needs to be conducted to prove its effectiveness.

Vitamin E

Aside from preventing infections and disease, there are no proven medicinal uses of vitamin E supplementation beyond the recommended daily allowance, notes the Mayo Clinic. However, there is ongoing research for vitamin E effect on diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Sources of vitamin E are found in foods such as wheat germ, eggs, liver, nuts, leafy greens, avocados and sweet potatoes. The daily recommended intake of vitamin E for individuals 14 years and older is 15 mcg. Women who are breastfeeding should consume 19 mcg a day.

Vitamin E Deficiencies

A deficiency in vitamin E is rare, but symptoms usually include muscle weakness, loss of muscle mass, unsteady gait, abnormal eye movement and impaired vision. Long-term deficiency may eventually result in liver or kidney problems, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Knee Joint Pain

Arthritis is one of the major causes of knee joint pain. Two types of arthritis can cause pain, stiffness and inflammation in the knee joint -- osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs from the breakdown in the cartilage covering the ends of bones where they meet to form a joint and allow movement. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the body's cells and tissue, resulting the breakdown of the synovium in the knees -- the thin membrane that lines the joints. Typically, joint pain is worse in the morning or after long periods of resting. Arthritis in the knee may be hereditary or caused by previous injury or lifestyle choices.

Evidence of Pain Relief

A study conducted in 2009 by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, found that patients who were given 400 mg oral palm vitamin E for 6 months had less symptom than patients who were given 1.5 g oral glucosamine sulphate for osteoarthritis joint pain, reports the Saudi Medical Journal. Because vitamin E is an antioxidant that fights off free radicals in the body that cause inflammation, supplementing with vitamin E may, in turn, decrease inflammation and pain in the knee joint.

Knee Joint Relief Alternatives

Consuming a wide variety of foods such as berries, fish, nuts and veggies can reduce inflammation in the joints, and supplementing with selenium and vitamin D may help prevent symptoms of arthritis from occurring, reports the Arthritis Foundation. Additionally, getting regular aerobic exercise can help increase blood flood and lubricate the joints reducing pain and discomfort.