The Body's Superstars

t p

UTHAN BRODSKY

p ecial to The Jewish News

ach vitamin has its support-
ers who tout that this is the
one that gives energy, pre-
vents disease, and slows the
Il•ing process.
The champions of Vitamin E have
peen making such claims for the past
[0 years. Recent research demon-
.trates that Vitamin E groupies are on
rie right track and ahead of their
'me!
"Vitamin E is an essential nutrient
ound in a well-balanced diet,"
lcplains Dr. Jesse Krakauer, M.D., at
rie Beaumont Health Prevention and
ti.tritional Medicine Clinic in
3irmingham. "Much of the interest
enters on the findings that Vitamin
has a powerful antioxidant function
hich protects against heart disease.
"What's more, although there's no
lefinite research which shows that
itamin E or other antioxidants can
' , are any disease, there is growing evi-
tnce that strongly suggests it has the
lower to prevent diseases including
ancer, to slow the progress of
L[lzheimer's disease, to reduce the pos-
bility of cataracts, and to improve
le immune function in older people.
"A small study led by Tufts
i rniversity researchers, for example,
lowed that a daily dose of 200 mil-
„ rams of Vitamin E boosts the
fects of flu shots in older people.”
Ten years ago, the very word
ltioxidant was viewed with skepti-
sm and the announcements of those
uting the benefits of antioxidant
itamin E were treated as so much
bberish. Not any more!
Research suggests that antioxidant
strients — generally Vitamin E
gether with C and beta-carotene —
ay help prevent heart disease and
rious cancers. Of the three, E is get-
1 -ig the strongest support. It has
l.come a superstar when it helps
activate the free radicals that dam-
(
t cells.
Although oxygen is the most criti-
1 nutrient for living, it is also the
lain source for free radicals which
uld be the primary cause of many

Researchers are stressing the
important roles of the antioxidants
Vitamin E and Selenium.

•

r

ithan Brodsky is a freelance writer
Bloomfield Hills.

4:46:4a9(

chronic diseases and for the accelera-
tion of the aging process. Free radicals
are highly reactive oxygen fragments
which are created by normal chemical
processes. They lack electrons and try
to steal them from other molecules to

regain balance, a process known as
oxidation.
A fat-soluble nutrient, Vitamin E
has a special advantage to its antioxi-
dant effect. LDL cholesterol, the
artery clogging kind, may cling to the

artery walls only after it's been oxi-
dized or chemically changed in the
body. Vitamin E seems to prevent
such oxidation since it travels through
the blood stream by attaching itself
directly to the LDL molecules made
up of fat and protein. Vitamin E has
been described as a tiny fire extin-
guisher that snuffs
Dr. Jesse
out free-radical chain
Krakauer with reactions in the fatty
oils and nuts
parts of cells, critical
high in
to proper immune
Vitamin E.
functioning and
heart health.
"Some studies report that Vitamin
E helps prevent skin cancer and
promotes wound healing, but it's
not clear whether cosmetics and
topical lotions have enough Vitamin
E to help prevent sunburn and
damage from aging," says Dr.
Jeffery Nusbaum, M.D., family
practitioner in Farmington Hills.
"Vitamin E added to soap,
however, may be soothing and soften
skin."
Fitness experts say that extra
Vitamin E also helps protect the mus-
cles against free-radical injury and
counteracts muscle soreness, especially
for those over 55. A study taken at
Tufts and Penn State said that
between 200 and 400 international
units (IU) should offer protection.
Just last year, the American Heart
Association named Vitamin E as one
of the most noteworthy accomplish-
ments in 1996. The important
research supporting the role of
Vitamin E includes a benchmark
study of 2000 patients with heart dis-
ease. In the study published by
Lancet, natural Vitamin E supple-
ments reduced heart attacks by 75
percent.
While the evidence isn't as strong,
researchers believe Vitamin E can also
help reduce the risk of certain cancers
such as breast, lung, mouth, prostate
and stomach. According to the
National Research Council, Vitamin
E can prevent damage to DNA which
initiates the cancer process, and block
the formation of carcinogenic corn-
pounds. In these studies, participants
used modest doses.
While health columns and fitness
magazines have been touting the ben-
SUPERSTARS on page 140

9/12

1997

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