Cardiovascular Protection for Life with Vitamin E

Cardiovascular disease (including heart disease) is the number one killer in Western countries - half of these deaths occur from atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes. Vitamin E goes a long way towards preventing these causes of death.

Atherosclerosis and Vitamin E

Atherosclerosis is a buildup of plaque on the inside lining of the arteries. The word comes from the Greek words athero (meaning "gruel" or "paste") and sclerosis ("hardness"). It is the underlying cause of the majority of heart attacks, strokes and angina cases. It has also been linked with hypertension, gangrene, intermittent claudication and pulmonary embolism (blockage of the arteries leading to the lungs). The formation of atherosclerotic plaque begins as thin, fatty streaks on an arterial wall. The inner walls of the artery walls start to deteriorate. Oxidized cholesterol, platelets and other deposits start to accumulate within these bumps, forming what we call atherosclerotic plaque. Eventually, calcium deposits and scar tissue surrounds the soft plaque making the arteries hard and inelastic. Eventually the artery becomes totally blocked and this is when the life-threatening conditions mentioned above really start to become deadly. Although it is thought of as a disease of the elderly, several studies have shown that arterial deposits can begin during childhood so it's never too early to embark on a preventive program against future heart disease.

An excellent starting point for preventing cardiovascular disease, regardless of how old or young you are, is one of the most popular vitamins, vitamin E. This vitamin puts a stop to several of the underlying mechanisms that cause cardiovascular disease. Firstly, it prevents blood platelets from clumping together too much and too fast at the site of an injury. This helps to prevent potentially-fatal blood clots. This could make vitamin E useful for preventing the newly-publicised "economy class syndrome". In the presence of vitamin E, blood platelets become less "sticky" and they are therefore less likely to adhere to cracks and hollows inside arteries, thereby thwarting one of the primary unwanted events in the development of atherosclerosis.

Vitamin E and Cholesterol

We all know that cholesterol has been widely proclaimed as a key instigator of cardiovascular diseases but did you know that only one type of cholesterol is actually the "villain" that clogs arteries. The type of cholesterol we're talking about is named LDL cholesterol. The other type of cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) is actually a "good guy" in that it helps to prevent adverse cardiovascular events. LDL cholesterol is only dangerous when it is oxidized and this is where vitamin E comes to the rescue. Vitamin E prevents the oxidisation of LDL cholesterol and thereby stops this key event in the development of atherosclerosis.

Scientific studies have shown that people receiving optimal doses of vitamin E have only 20% of the arterial blockage of people on a high-fat diet who don't get enough vitamin E. This vitamin is a potent antioxidant that protects blood vessels from the damage inflicted by free radicals.

New Findings on Vitamin E's Mechanism

Very recently scientists found vitamin E to be the only known natural compound that can lower levels of another key indicator of cardiovascular disease named C-reactive protein. The presence of this protein in the blood is a highly accurate biomarker of your likelihood of having atherosclerosis, a heart attack or a stroke. Lowering levels of this protein is almost 100% guaranteed to lower your risk of these cardiovascular diseases. It has been proven that by taking vitamin E supplements you can reduce your risk of stroke by up to 70%. Furthermore, if you were to suffer a stroke after using vitamin E, your risk of dying would be significantly less than that of people who don't get enough of this nutrient.

Using Vitamin E

To optimise the benefits you receive from vitamin E supplements, you should use only the natural (d-alpha) forms of vitamin E. See our d-alpha-tocopherol, d-alpha-tocopherol acetate, d-alpha-tocopherol succinate or mixed tocopherols as all of these are effective forms of natural vitamin E.

It should be taken with meals in order to maximise its absorption. Until recently most nutritionally-oriented physicians recommended a daily dosage of 400 - 800 IU of vitamin E per day, however recent research indicates that a daily dose of 1,200 IU provides much greater protection from cardiovascular disease.

You need to take vitamin E on a daily basis for at least three months before its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system begin to kick in. Furthermore, the longer you use vitamin E, the greater the protection it provides. For instance, in one study it was demonstrated that two years of daily vitamin E supplementation reduced the incidence of heart disease from 32% of the population down to 3% - a worthwhile investment.

And don't forget that vitamin E confers numerous other benefits that are beyond the scope of this article, making it a very cost effective form of life insurance. At Thexton.com.au we stock a full range of vitamin E products in its optimal (natural) form.