Warning Signs Linked To A Vitamin E Deficiency

Muscle Weakness

With the absence of vitamin E, there is a significant influx of calcium gluconate into the individual's muscle cells. Muscle movements require ATP, the primary form of energy used by the cells. The mitochondria are the organelles inside of the cells responsible for taking nutrients and synthesizing them into ATP. However, calcium gluconate can overwhelm the mitochondria and cause them to become functionally compromised. The mitochondria in the individual's muscle cells are then unable to produce enough ATP to meet the muscle tissue demands. This malfunction eventually causes a patient's muscles to degenerate over time. This muscle degeneration is the reason an affected individual will experience muscle weakness. This symptom of vitamin E deficiency can become life-threatening if the myocardium or heart muscle becomes affected by the degenerative effects of a vitamin E deficiency.

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Coordination Issues

Coordination issues can be described as an individual's inability to coordinate different voluntary movements of the body. The loss of coordination in affected individuals can manifest as difficulty with walking and an abnormal unsteady gait. An affected individual may appear to stagger or lurch when they are walking. Trembling may be apparent in an affected individual when they are standing. An affected individual may have an increased tendency to drop objects they are holding and experience difficulty with simple tasks that involve the use of their hands. Vitamin E deficiency has the most prominent effect on an individual's cerebellum and certain nerves called Purkinje neurons. Without the protective effects of vitamin E in these neurons and the cerebellum, there is an increase in the amount of oxidative stress and nerve damage. This type of vitamin deficiency also disables the dendritic branching of the Purkinje neurons in affected individuals, which results in difficulty with motor coordination.

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