MANILA, Philippines – Has your mom or skincare junkie friends ever told you to drink vitamin E supplements or to put on vitamin E lotion for better skin? 

You might’ve rolled your eyes at them or maybe even started doing what they said just so they could stop nagging you. 

Well, here’s the thing. They’re actually right. Vitamin E has always been a tried and tested beauty vitamin that gives you that beautiful and healthy glowing skin. But more than just being a skincare go-to, there’s more to this vitamin than most people know.

Let’s break it down.

Vitamin E in skin cell health: Fighting free radicals

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that rejuvenates the skin and keeps us youthful.

According to a study conducted at UL Skin Sciences Inc. (ULSSI), “Vitamin E helps maintain membrane integrity in all cells of the body including the nerve tissues by acting as the body’s fat-soluble antioxidant. It promotes cell and tissue renewal of the skin, heart, lungs, muscles, and liver.” In layman’s terms, this means that vitamin E is an important factor in keeping your skin fresh, youthful, and healthy on a cellular level. 

Of course, in breaking down vitamin E’s benefit to the body, it’s vital to discuss its ability to fight against free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals in the body that are formed during normal body processes like breathing, metabolism and immune system response. This is where vitamin E’s antioxidant properties become important. 

Vitamin E in immunity research: Free radicals vs antioxidants

The relationship between free radicals and oxidants has always been more than a minor skincare issue, but an overall health concern. There is a delicate balance between the two, where too much and too little of either could result as gateways for serious illnesses. A good way of understanding this is identifying oxidant sources: cigarette, alcohol, bad food, stress, etc. 

According to this study, “If free radicals overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate them, a condition known as oxidative stress ensues.” Antioxidants function not to completely obliterate free radicals. Rather, they balance the amount present in our body. 

There have also been studies that support the role of vitamin E in increased immune functions and increased protection against infectious diseases. This supports that vitamin E is not only used for health maintenance, but also for overall improvement. 

With all of these benefits, we can conclude that vitamin E is an essential immunity booster. 

Vitamin E in health maintenance: Promoting healthy cells

Because of how well it protects the cell, several types of research across the years are also looking into the vitamin’s role in serious diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and eye disorders. In fact, in this particular research, some scientists are going as far as studying the vitamin’s role in nerve healing. 

Why is this important? To date, the health benefits of vitamin E haven’t been fully discovered yet, but one thing is clear. Vitamin E is one of the more important vitamins that we need in our system especially during this time of health anxiety. So protect your body and improve your immune system by taking vitamin E daily! – Rappler.com