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May 9, 2009
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Vitamin E
is an essential nutrient we must get in our diets, and unlike other
vitamins that serve as cofactors, vitamin E has the primary function of
a
chain-breaking antioxidant. That means it quenches
harmful free radicals that cause damage to membranes and other
structures important for normal cell function. Is this important for
athletes – you bet! Intense exercise is a physiologic stress that
involves both a mechanical and biochemical response in muscle, tendon,
and ligaments. The mechanical stress involves physical disruption or
damage to cell membranes and normal cell structures adversely affecting
cell function. There is also an associated biochemical stress response
that involves generation of free radicals (oxidative stress) that
triggers an inflammatory cascade. To facilitate optimal tissue repair
and enhance recovery from intense exercise, a key concept is to protect
cell membranes and mitigate the oxidative stress and inflammatory
response to exercise. There are several forms of vitamin E and not all
are created equal. Alpha tocopherol is the vitamin E form routinely
used in clinical intervention trials and
dietary supplements because of its well-established antioxidant effects. In fact almost all
vitamin E supplements
use this form with a few exceptions. Gamma tocopherol, on the other
hand, is a potent but uncommon supplemental form of vitamin E with
unique properties beneficial for recovery from exercise. In addition to
antioxidant activity, gamma tocopherol also has reactive nitrogen
scavenging ability and anti-inflammatory effects and therefore
represents a more therapeutically effective form of vitamin E.
Suggested dosage would be 100-300 mg/day gamma tocopherol.
-- answer by: Jeff Volek.
Disclaimer: The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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