If you know something about vitamin and mineral supplements, you may have heard that there’s a certain wellness controversy around upping your intake of vitamins A and E. In the past, studies have linked synthetic versions of these vitamins to a decreased wellbeing, but some people with specific health concerns could actually need to supplement some vitamin A and E replacement in their diets.
Commonly, symptoms or disease states that benefit from vitamins A and E are various skin or eye diseases, premenstrual syndrome symptoms, fibrocystic breast disease, and vascular diseases. However, in one wellness area, these two vitamins are crucial for repletion in a supplement form; inflammatory bowel diseases. Whether its irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) colitis or leaky gut syndrome, you may need extra supplementation of all vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A and E.
Some studies have suggested that if you have an inflammatory bowel disease, you have lower levels of retinol-binding proteins and thus had lower blood levels of vitamin A, even more so than vitamin E. Even eating well might not get your overall vitamin level up to where it should be, but this is particularly the case with vitamin A and E.
Because your intestinal tract is inflamed, when the disease is severe your intestines cannot absorb from food well. In this case, there are less of the proteins needed to absorb and transport food available; because inflammatory states cause high levels of protein to break down. However, as there are concerns about high doses of synthetic vitamin A and E supplements, if you have chronic bowel disease that leads to inflammation in the intestines, natural forms of vitamins should be taken on a daily basis and not just intermittently.
Bear in mind that extra vitamin A and E are only advisable if you have a specific health condition that requires it, or your body doesn’t absorb these nutrients well. You shouldn’t take them as a general wellness supplement but with a specific treatment goal in mind for a specific concerning disease state or symptom. This means checking with your doctor first as to whether they are a good idea for you, or else getting the right levels from a well-balanced, plant-based diet.
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