Are you having trouble walking and lack of coordination while working with both hands? If yes, your body might have developed vitamin E deficiency.  

Vitamin E is essential for your body and is used in many functions of the body and if you have its deficiency, you might develop some serious health conditions. So, it’s important to know the signs that our body gives to avoid this vitamin deficiency.  

 Keep reading this article to know about those signs.  

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that also has antioxidant properties. As a fat-soluble vitamin, it is stored in the liver and needs an adequate quantity to be absorbed in your blood.  

Vitamin E helps in many functions like  

• Making your immune system strong,  
• Aiding in the formation of red blood cells, 
• Widening your blood vessels to increase the blood flow to avoid blood clotting,  
• Helping the body to use vitamin K,   
• As an antioxidant, it protects our muscle tissues from free radicals and  
• Helps the cells to communicate/interact with each other.  

Although, it is exceedingly rare for people to develop a deficiency of vitamin E because it is available in many foods such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, meats, poultry eggs, etc. So, if anyone develops a deficiency it can be easily managed by eating vitamin E foods or supplements. 

Signs of Vitamin E deficiency  

Even though it’s rare but people develop a deficiency of vitamin E. Most people who develop this deficiency can be through genetics, having a medical condition, or being born prematurely.  

These are the signs you can notice in you if you have vitamin E deficiency, including: 

• Muscle Weakness: Vitamin E is used as our body’s main antioxidant which is essential for your central nervous system. Developing its deficiency results in oxidative stress, which leads to muscle weakness.  
• Trouble in walking and coordination: Vitamin E deficiency can cause damage to certain neurons, which are called Purkinje neurons, which affects the ability to transmit signals through parts of the body, especially your hands, and feet.  
• Numbness and tingling: Damages to neurons can affect the ability to transfer signals correctly to peripheral nerves through the spinal cord, resulting in numbness and tingling. This condition is medically called peripheral neuropathy.  
• Vision problems: Vitamin E deficiency can weaken some cells in your eyes, including light receptors of the retina, leading to vision problems. 
• Immune system problems: As vitamin E helps to make the immune system stronger, deficiency can make your immune system weak, and prone to virus and bacterial infections. Older people have more chances to solve this problem.  

Diseases Associated with Vitamin E Deficiency 

These are the diseases you might develop if you have vitamin E deficiency or if your body is not able to absorb it well, including: 

• chronic pancreatitis 
• celiac disease 
• cholestatic liver disease 
• cystic fibrosis 
• Short bowel syndrome 

A deficiency of vitamin E is quite common in newborn or premature babies who are born with lower body weight or with less fat. Premature babies are at particular risk of developing an immature digestive tract that can interfere with fat and vitamin E absorption. Vitamin E deficiencies in infants can lead to hemolytic anemia, which destroys red blood cells.  

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that is very essential for the proper functioning of your body. Although it’s rare for people to develop it, if you develop its deficiency, you can notice the above-mentioned symptoms in your body. For confirmation, visit a doctor. Its deficiency can easily be treated by eating foods or taking supplements that contain vitamin E.  

Want to know about the tests to diagnose your vitamin E deficiency? Call us on 1-347-384-5690 to get a consultation. And if you’re in need of dietary advice, get a consultation, or walk in for an appointment at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212. You can also visit our website to book an appointment online at https://doralhw.org or contact us at info@doralhw.org if you have any queries.