The poster, recently presented at Experimental Biology in San Diego, concluded that most Americans have suboptimal vitamin E status, although the prevalence of insufficiency is lower for those using dietary supplements.
With more than 90% of the US population not currently meeting the vitamin E intake recommendations, the study assessed how vitamin E status differs by sex, ethnicity, age and dietary supplement use. The analysis found that prevalence of deficient and suboptimal status is highest in younger adults and most common among non-Hispanic Afro-Americans, relative to other ethnicities.
The poster also highlighted that suboptimal vitamin E status was less likely to be found among users of dietary supplements.
“As a major fat-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E is essential for human health and protects cells, tissues and organs from damage due to oxidative reactions,” said Michael McBurney, vice president science, nutrition and advocacy at DSM. “Maintaining optimal vitamin E status is associated with decreased risk of mortality. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans have suboptimal vitamin E status to support the brain, eye, cardiovascular systems. Low vitamin E intake is a serious public health concern. This latest analysis shows that, despite a low incidence in overt vitamin E deficiency, many adults in the US have suboptimal a-tocopherol (AT) status even when supplementing their diet.
“DSM is involved in ongoing work to evaluate vitamin E intake recommendations, with the existing guidelines typically based on anecdotal historic data.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024