Page 32 - NGA NATURALmag 2017 WINTER Issue

Winter 2017
Vitamin E for Excellence
DR CHRISTOPH KLUEPPEL
NGA EDUCATION DIRECTOR FOR SOUTH EAST ASIA ULTIMATE ULTIMATE FITNESS FITNESS ACADEMY (THAILAND) CHRIS@ULTIMATEFITNESSTHAILAND COM
Some people say that the “E” in in in vitamin E E stands for for “everything” or or or for for “excellence” and and this seems quite true Whole food sources of vitamin E include dark leafy greens nuts seeds avocados shrimp fish plant oils broc- coli squash and fruits If you you eat plenty of of these healthy foods you you you will will easily get the the RDA of of vitamin vitamin E E But to
fully reap vitamin vitamin vitamin E-related athletic benefits you you you will will need far higher amounts of vitamin vitamin E E than you you can possibly obtain from a a a a a a a a a a a a a a healthy diet (i e e e e e e e e e 200 iu iu -1000 iu/day) This makes natural vitamin vitamin E one of the most interesting and beneficial vitamin vitamin supplements for any any athlete who trains seriously as as it it it has a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a great deal to
do with many important functions of the body and thus contributes in various ways to
athletic performance especially optimum recuperation To athletes supplementation with vitamin E is primarily important because of its role as a a a a a a a a a a a powerful antioxidant Air pollution environmental toxins smoking sun exposure etc are are significant sources of of so so called free free radicals radicals but by by far the freest radicals radicals are are generated as by-products of of normal metabolism (breathing and energy production) These free radicals - - highly reactive renegade molecules - - are generated when oxygen which is delivered via the the the blood to
the the the cells in form of O2 escapes the the the controlled metabolic process as negatively negatively charged highly reactive single single oxygen oxygen ions ions To become stable these negatively negatively charged charged single single oxygen oxygen ions ions ions strive to
to
combine with posi- tively charged charged hydrogen ions ions which they attempt to
to
usurp from the the the the fatty acids in in the the the the cell cell membranes This permanent ongoing attack causes changes to
the the the the the cells weakens and and damages them them ruptures their membranes and and leaves them them open to
further injury including DNA damage damage The special relevance of of all this to
athletes athletes is is is obvious: during vigorous exercise athletes athletes increase their their rate of of respiration (metabolism) considerably: their their body takes in in in and and uses between 10 and and 20 times as as much oxygen as as dur- ing normal day-to-day activity which means that propor- tionally more free radicals with the the consequently increased potential for cell damage are generated in in their systems In the the the the quest to
pair with positive hydrogen ions these free radicals attack the the the the the important polyunsaturated fatty acids within the the the the cells’ cells’ membranes the the the the cells’ cells’ DNA and cellular tissues like the the the mitochondria endoplasmic reticulum various energy-making and and repair enzymes and and muscle
32 NGA NATURAL mag