Animal fats such as butter and milk fat have negligible amounts of vitamin E. Vitamin E - The Disease Fighter Antioxidant nutrients like vitamin E play a significant role in protecting the body against damage that can be caused by free radicals. Free radicals are substances that are formed by everyday bodily processes and can come from the environment. Vitamin E also serves as the body's primary defense against damage to cell membranes that are vital to human health. Of all the antioxidants, vitamin E has the strongest evidence supporting its role in protection against the development of cardiovascular disease. A link exists between vitamin E intake and coronary artery disease incidence, according to epidemiological studies, the AHA noted.
Animal studies suggest that vitamin E can slow the development of atherosclerosis.
Furthermore, vitamin E inhibits lipoprotein oxidation in test tube experiments and in those with people. Vitamin E Makes Research Headlines Vitamin E recently has been studied for its protective effect against heart disease and other ailments. A more recent study from this same study group published in the May 2000 issue of the American Journal of Clincial Nutrition , found a similar association between women who ate diets that contained the most vitamin E-rich foods and incidence of cerebrovascular disease. In fact, death from stoke was 60 percent lower among those in the highest quintile of vitamin E intake from foods compared to those in the lowest quintile. Other studies have examined the effect of vitamin E supplements on the heart.