As a holistic veterinarian, I feel it is incredibly important to take the whole
animal into consideration when it comes to nutrition. And, whenever practical, my
preference is to provide nutrients, minerals and vitamins in their natural forms.
In this post, I’d like to talk to you specifically about vitamin E, to review both the strengths and weaknesses
of natural and synthetic forms.
Vitamin E is an incredibly complex and important nutrient that, among other things,
functions as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are naturally occurring nutrients that
promote health by slowing the destructive aging process of cells (a breakdown called
“peroxidation”). In peroxidation, damaged molecules known as free radicals steal
pieces from other cells, like fat, protein or DNA. The damage can spread, damaging
and killing entire groups of cells. While peroxidation can be useful to destroy
old cells or germs and parasites, when left unchecked, free radicals produced by
peroxidation also damages healthy cells. Antioxidants can help to stem the tide
of peroxidation, thus stabilizing free radicals.
Antioxidants like vitamin E are crucial to the health of companion animals of any age.
They can improve the quality of the immune response and the effectiveness
of vaccines in young pets, and help maintain a vital immune system in seniors. More...