Top 4 symptoms of vitamin E deficiency

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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : November 10, 2015 4:29 PM IST

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The human body requires 13 different vitamins in order to sustain itself and vitamin E is one of the most important. Why, you ask? Well, vitamin E is responsible for slowing the process of aging, nerve development, strengthening muscles and improving fertility.

Clinically speaking, a human requires around 15 mg ( 6-7 mg for children) everyday to help keep the body healthy. Anything lesser than this and it could lead to vitamin E deficiency.

How does Vitamin E deficiency occur?

People who suffer from Vitamin E deficiency usually follow a strict low-fat diet for a long stretch of time. It should be noted that other vitamin deficiencies could result from a strict diet as well. However, if being on a diet is not the reason for your deficiency, some other medical condition like Crohn s disease as well as gallbladder disorders could be preventing your body from absorbing nutrients from foods you eat.

Listed below are some of the common Vitamin E deficiency symptoms:

Muscle weakness

One of the most common signs of Vitamin E deficiency is myopathy or muscle pain. Experts say that myopathy is a result of muscle fibres that become weak over time. In fact, if there is a deficiency of vitamin E and selenium in the body, it could lead to a serious case of myopathy and another condition known as lipid peroxidation.

Impaired vision

Among the other symptoms associated with this deficiency, another common one is thinning of the retina or its degeneration. Degeneration results in the damage of the eye s inner lining where it becomes thinner as a result. If you are suffering from a vitamin E deficiency, you may also face blurred vision or difficulty seeing properly at night. (Read: 10 reasons you should have vitamin E rich foods)

Anemia

Anaemia is a blood disorder which is caused when there is a low amount of red blood cells in the blood. Red blood cells (RBCs) are an integral part of the blood as it helps transport oxygen to other areas in the body with the help of haemoglobin. Hemolytic anaemia is a type of anaemia wherein red blood cells are broken down abnormally, and is known to be caused due to vitamin E deficiency. Vitamin E deficiency has also been linked to low birth weights in infants, making it an essential component in treating infants. They can be treated with tocopherols in order for them to absorb vitamin E.

Neurological impairment

Vitamin E deficiency hampers the functioning of the central nervous system. Therefore, if you are deficient in Vitamin E, you may experience nerve degeneration of the feet and hands, experience bad reflexes, ill co-ordination and loss of balance.Vitamin E also has antioxidant properties, that when deficient can lead to degradation of the body due to oxidative stress. (Read: Vitamin E good or bad?)

Photo source: Getty images


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