Warning Signs Linked To A Vitamin E Deficiency
Vitamin E deficiency is a condition that occurs due to the shortage of a nutrient called vitamin E in an individual's body. Vitamin E is a critical antioxidant in the body that protects an individual's cells from incurring damage from free radicals, which are unstable atoms that play a role in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, including cancer and heart disease. A vitamin E deficiency can be caused by disorders that affect the way the body absorbs fat from food, such as gallbladder disorders, cystic fibrosis, liver disorders, and pancreatitis.
Vitamin E deficiency can also result from an insufficient intake of foods with vitamin E. A physical examination and blood tests are utilized in making a diagnosis of vitamin E deficiency. Treatment for this type of deficiency focuses on replacing the missing vitamin E in the body. Several symptoms can be indicative of a vitamin E deficiency.
Deterioration Of Vision
A deficiency of vitamin E in an individual can affect the way their retina functions. The retina is a component in an individual's eye that contains millions of cells with a particular sensitivity for light. These cells can be classified as rods or cones. Rods function to help produce monochrome vision when the individual is in an environment with low light, while cones produce an individual's sharp central vision.
Healthy levels of vitamin E in an individual help protect the membranes of these light-sensitive cells in the retina from incurring damage and undergoing adverse alterations caused by a sequence of oxidative events. A patient who has a vitamin E deficiency can experience central degeneration of the cells in their retina, which manifests as a progressive loss of vision over an extended duration. This vision loss may be reversible in some patients who receive prompt and proper medical treatment.
Peripheral Neuropathy
The peripheral nervous system is the nerve network that connects an individual's spinal cord and brain to the rest of their body, including their arms, legs, hands, feet, internal organs, mouth, and face. The nerves within this system are responsible for delivering signals to the brain that contain information about physical sensation. The nerves of the peripheral nervous system are made out of polyunsaturated fats, cholesterol, and other substances, all of which are greatly vulnerable to damage from oxidative stress.
Vitamin E is the primary and most abundant source of antioxidants in a healthy individual's body. These antioxidants have a protective effect on the nerve cells of an individual's peripheral nervous system, preventing damage from oxidative stress. However, an individual with low vitamin E will experience damage to these peripheral nerves over time due to a lack of the protective antioxidant effects of the vitamin. Peripheral neuropathy manifests as numbness and or tingling in a patient's feet or hands.
