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

He’s got a gut feeling your diet could use more vitamin E.

“We have studies that show that people who consistently meet their dietary requirements for vitamin E have a lower rate of certain gut diseases and a lower rate of fatty liver disease,” 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 can help boost your immunity,” Salhab added.

Florida gastroenterologist Joseph Salhab extolled the virtues of vitamin E in a TikTok earlier this month. TikTok / @thestomachdoc

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

The recommended daily vitamin E intake for adults and teens older than 13 is 15 milligrams (mg). Children should consume less than that.

Avocados, blackberries, kiwis, cranberries, mangoes, spinach, peanut butter, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts and olive oil contain vitamin E. Getty Images/iStockphoto

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

Salhab also recommends avocados, blackberries, kiwis, cranberries, hazelnuts, pine nuts and olive oil, which he drizzles on greens.

However, he doesn’t advise vitamin E supplements.

“Vitamin E supplements, if not taken correctly, actually can be associated with significant side effects,” Salhab explained. “So I’m a huge fan of getting this type of thing from your diet.”

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

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Excess supplementation can lead to vitamin E toxicity, which may cause bleeding, nausea, diarrhea, other gastrointestinal symptoms, muscle weakness and headaches.

Vitamin E toxicity is rare, as is deficiency, which is likely due to problems with fat absorption or metabolism.

“Proper diet is essential for good liver health,” Salhab emphasized.