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Individuals who cannot absorb fat require a vitamin E supplement because some dietary fat is needed for the absorption of vitamin E from the
gastrointestinal tract. Intestinal disorders that often result in malabsorption of vitamin E and may require vitamin E supplementation include
People who have had gastric surgery may develop
vitamin E deficiency after the Gastric surgery. go to next page of Vitamin E and heart disease, cancer and cataracts Learn about disease that
are helped by vitamin-E on page-4 link belowVitamin E Deficiency-3
People who cannot absorb fat often pass greasy stools or have chronic diarrhea. People with an inability to secrete bile, a substance that
helps fat digestion, may need a special supplement.
Abetalipoproteinemia is a rare inherited disorder of fat metabolism that results in poor absorption of dietary fat and vitamin E . The vitamin E deficiency associated with this
disease causes problems such as poor transmission of nerve impulses, muscle weakness, and degeneration of the retina that can cause blindness. Individuals with abetalipoproteinemia
may be prescribed special vitamin E supplements by a physician to treat this disorder .
Ataxia and vitamin E deficiency (AVED) is also a rare inherited disorder. It is caused by a genetic defect in a liver protein that is responsible for maintaining normal alpha-tocopherol
concentrations in the blood. These individuals have such severe vitamin E deficiency that without supplements they are unable to walk (ataxia) .
Very low birth weight infants may be deficient in vitamin E Necrotizing enterocolitits, a condition sometimes seen in very low birth weight infants that is characterized by inflammation of the
lining of the intestines, may lead to a vitamin E deficiency . These infants are usually under the care of a neonatologist, a pediatrician specializing in
the care of newborns who evaluates and treats the exact nutritional needs of prematureinfants.