VITAMIN E DEFICIENCY

dietary lack of vitamin E (a collective term referring to a family of compounds known as tocopherols), which plays an active role as an inhibitor of oxidation processes in body tissues. The richest sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils and foods that are high in vegetable fats, such as nuts and wheat germ. Lettuce and other leafy green vegetables are also good sources. A naturally occurring dietary deficiency of the vitamin is unlikely. In experimental animals, the characteristic signs of induced vitamin E deficiency vary with the species. In the mature female rat, reproduction fails because of absorption of the fetus; in the mature male rat, sterility results from degeneration of the germinal tissues. The vitamin deficiency in rabbits and guinea pigs is characterized mainly by acute muscular dystrophy, or wasting away of the muscles. In the chick, vitamin E deficiency leads to abnormalities in the vascular system and muscular weakness. In monkeys experiencing the vitamin deficiency, an anemia usually accompanies muscular weakness. Humans with a deficiency of vitamin E display, among other symptoms, a mild anemia and a low concentration of tocopherols in the blood plasma. Patients with a chronic deficiency exhibit prolonged malabsorption of fats, as well as mild anemia, unsteadiness (ataxia) and pigmentary changes in the retina. These symptoms respond to prolonged vitamin E treatment.