Vitamin+E-Kathryn+Faull

Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol is a fat soluble vitamin with antioxidant effects and aids in red blood formation (Dunford, 2012). Vitamin E is the primary antioxidant in cell membranes as it is fat soluble. The role of this antioxidant vitamin is to stop any reactions taking place in the cell that may lead to it's destruction, normally caused by oxidation or free radicals. Once vitamin E has used it's antioxidant powers to stop cell damage it has to be replenished, but not without the aid of other mineral compounds (Dunford, 2012). Daily Recommended Intake is 15mg/day for teens and adults. Not meeting the DRI over a period of time can result in deficiency with symptoms of nausea and anemia. Vitamin E can very easily be ingested through the diet by consumption of nuts, certain green vegetables like asparagus and broccoli, eggs, and vegetable oils, or through supplementation in pill and oil forms. Many forms of Vitamin E supplementation such as pills or oils can be found in grocery stores or drug stores with a price ranging from $8-$26 depending on the brand, milligrams of the substance, and the amount of capsules.
 * What is Vitamin E?**

The ingestion, absorption and secretion of Vitamin E starts with consumption of the source of the vitamin (food or supplement). This process normally involves mastication and salivary action to break down the food as it's in the mouth before it travels into the upper GI tract. Vitamin E is most efficiently absorbed in the GI tract, especially if in the form of a cholesterol. Emulsification occurs in the GI tract, and Vitamin E is then picked up by a micelle and transported to the apical membrane(in the lumen of intestinal lining) of the enterocyte (a cell in the lining of the intestine). Once in the enterocyte, it is transported by lipoproteins NPC1L1, and SR-BI. The transporters are secreted from the cell and travel to a lymph or portal vein into the blood. Absorption can occur through protein mediation or passive diffusion, and storage of vitamin E occurs in the liver.
 * Vitamin E Metabolism** (information for this section sourced from Borel, 2013):

The physiological function of Vitamin E is that it works as an antioxidant to help fight off and rid the body of harmful substances. However, studies have been done to see if Vitamin E can in anyway aid in exercise performance or recovery. A study by Draeger, 2014 shows that athletes who took Vitamin E supplements in a double blind study can increase maximum voluntary muscle control post high intensity exercise. While this increase in control occurred, it was not considered significant by testing standards therefor the result of this study did not find Vitamin E to be useful as an ergogenic aid. However, endurance and ultra endurance athletes, or any athletes that spend a large amount of time in the outdoors experience higher exposure to free radicals. Because of this high exposure, it is extremely important that these athletes meet the DRI for vitamin E as it's antioxidant effects aid in fixing and protecting tissues and cells (Dunford, 2012).
 * Vitamin E as an Ergogenic Aid**:

A study by Yfanti, 2012 showed that with 4 weeks of Vitamin E and C supplementation pre-acute exercise reduces the response of IL6 to exercise. Supplementation also showed an increase in plasma protein. Vitamin E supplementation for two months before a triathlon showed an increase in lipid peroxidation (mean there is a breakdown and damage to cells). None of these factors were reported to be significant.

Due to the information I found in research, Vitamin E is not used as an ergogenic aid because it has no positive effects to exercise, and can potentially hurt performance. However, it is equally dangerous to be Vitamin E deficient. [|Here] is a video that shows some of the best foods to incorporate into your diet as a source of Vitamin E.

References: Dunford, Marie, Doyle, J. A. (2012). Nutrition for Sport and Exercise, 3rd edition. Cengage Learning.

Borel, P., Preveraud, D., Desmarchelier, C. (2013). Bioavailability of vitmain E in humans: an update. //Nutrition Reviews, 71(6)//. 319-331.

Draeger, C.L., Naves, A., Marques, N., Baptistella, A.B., Carnauba, R.A., Paschoal, V., Nicastro, H. (2014). Controversies of antioxidant vitmain supplementation in exercise: ergogenic or ergolytic effects in humans. //Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(4)//.

Yfanti, C., Fischer, C.P., Nielson, S., Akerstrom, T., Nielson, A.R., Veskoukis, A.S., Kouretas, D., Lykkesfeldt, J., Pilegaard, H., Pederson, B.K. (2012). Role of vitamin C and E supplementation on IL-6 in response to training. //American Physiological Society//, 990-1000.