Vitamin E key to good gut and liver health: the stomach doctor

He has a gut feeling that your diet could use more vitamin E.

“We have studies showing that people who consistently meet their dietary requirements for vitamin E have a lower rate of certain bowel diseases and a lower rate of fatty liver disease,” the Florida gastroenterologist. Joseph Salhab said in a trending TikTok this month.

“Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant – it protects the liver against oxidative stress, it can help heal the liver and it can help boost your immunity,” added Salhab.

A study published earlier this year in the journal Nature found that vitamin E has a protective effect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, where fat builds up in the liver. The condition can cause serious liver damage and increase the risk of heart disease and liver cancer.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin E for adults and adolescents over 13 years of age is 15 milligrams (mg). Children should consume less than this.

One ounce of dry, roasted almonds contains about 6.8 mg of vitamin E, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has about 2.9 mg, half a cup of cooked spinach contains 1.9 mg, and half a cup of sliced ​​mango provides about 0.7 mg.

Salhab also recommends avocados, blackberries, kiwis, blueberries, hazelnuts, pine nuts and olive oil, which she drizzles over the greens.

However, he does not advise vitamin E supplements.

“Vitamin E supplements, if not taken properly, can actually be associated with significant side effects,” Salhab explained. “So I’m a big fan of getting that kind of thing out of your diet.”

Recent research notes that vitamin E supplements can contain hundreds of milligrams of the nutrient even though 15 mg is the recommended daily intake.