Like vitamin D, vitamin E is also essential for those patients suffering from neuropathy and other neurologic disorders.
Vitamin E is a key nutrient involved in protecting our cells from damage due to oxidation. At least that is the role that was once presumed to be the most important—researchers are now suggesting its role maybe much deeper than that.
Vitamin E is essential to proper nerve function. The deficiency of vitamin E can cause many different health problems.
Like most nutrients, too much is dangerous. Bleeding tendencies can increase, especially when Vitamin E is consumed at levels above 400 IUs per day in some patients. Bleeding tendency can combine if you are on anticoagulant medication—even aspirin—so please be very careful here. This is also why working with a neuropathy treatment professional, and not just supplementing with single nutrients, is so important to good neuropathy care.
It’s also important to understand that there are several different vitamin E variants, called tocopherols. Each of these has slightly different functions. In most modern diets, the gamma component is the largest consumed. This is found in primarily corn and soybean oil, and some other foods.
The most biologically active is the alpha, which is found in wheat germ, sunflower, and safflower oil. Small amounts are also available in other plants, including many vegetables. Avocados and asparagus are reasonably good food sources.
Vitamin E is one nutrient where it’s very difficult to get enough from diet alone. A good range of supplementation, depending upon individual health issues and other risk factors, is probably somewhere between 100 and 400 international units of alpha tocopherol.
One key area where vitamin E can be extremely beneficial is in healing many forms of neuropathy. Vitamin E is a key nutrient to help nerves manufacture normal amounts of myelin.
Myelin is the “insulating” material that helps your nerves conduct their signals fast and accurately.
This is also what makes large nerves conduct signals so rapidly.
Like vitamin D, vitamin E is also essential for those patients suffering from most other neurologic disorders.
So now you know a little more about neuropathy nutrition! This will help you continue to make the best choices possible along your journey to better health!
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