Eating Diets Rich in Vitamin E may Help You Stay Sharp, Maintain Neuronal Health

Vitamin E is needed to prevent a dramatic loss of a critically important molecule in the brain. The study explains why vitamin E is needed for brain health.

Researchers have found that deficiency of vitamin E may cause damage to brain cells, this eating diets rich in vitamin E can help you stay sharp.

Vitamin E deficiency may interrupt a supply line of specific nutrients and rob the brain of the "building blocks" it needs to maintain neuronal health, the findings showed.

Common Type of Pneumonia Prevented With Vitamin E in Older Mice
The bacterial infection that commonly causes pneumonia was prevented in older mice with extra dose of vitamin E.

"This research showed that vitamin E is needed to prevent a dramatic loss of a critically important molecule in the brain, and helps explain why vitamin E is needed for brain health," said Dr. Maret Traber, lead author of the study, professor at Oregon State University in the US.

Vitamin E in human diets is most often provided by dietary oils, such as olive oil. But many of the highest levels are in foods not routinely considered dietary staples - almonds, sunflower seeds or avocados.

The research showed that zebrafish fed a diet deficient in vitamin E throughout their life had about 30% lower levels of docosahexaenoic acid-containing phosphatidylcholines (DHA-PC), which is a part of the cellular membrane in every brain cell, or neuron.

Vitamin E Deficiency Linked to High Miscarriage Risk Among Poor Women
In Bangladesh, pregnant women with low levels of the most common form of vitamin E are nearly twice as likely to have a miscarriage than those with adequate levels of the vitamin in their blood.

Other recent studies have concluded that low levels of DHA-PC in the blood plasma of humans is a biomarker than can predict a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

"You cannot build a house without the necessary materials," Traber said. "In a sense, if vitamin E is inadequate, we are cutting by more than half the amount of materials with which we can build and maintain the brain," Traber added.

Intake of Vitamin E Critical During 'The First 1,000 Days'
Adequate levels of vitamin E is especially critical for the very young, elderly, and women who are or may become pregnant, suggests a new analysis published today.

The year-old zebrafish used in this study, and the deficient levels of vitamin E they were given, are equivalent to humans eating a low vitamin E diet for a lifetime.

The findings were published in the Journal of Lipid Research.

Vitamin E from Canola Oil Linked to Lung Problems
The vitamin E content in canola and other oils may be to blame for the rising incidence of inflammation and asthma, researchers believe

Source-IANS