Vitamin E and Selenium for antioxidant

Vitamin E and Selenium - How Foods Fight Cancer

Vitamin E and the mineral selenium are also part of your antioxidant arsenal.
Like beta-carotene and lycopene, they protect each cell’s outer membrane
from free radical attacks. Vitamin E is found in legumes (beans), whole
grains, and plants rich in natural oils (such as nuts and seeds).

However, while a little bit of vitamin E is good—in fact, it is an essential
part of your body’s protection against free radicals—it is not at all
certain that boosting vitamin E intake to high levels is a good idea. Some
of the richest vitamin E sources, such as vegetable oils and nuts, also give
you an unwanted load of fat. This may be the reason why one study found
that, among women with breast cancer, those with the highest levels of vitamin
E in their bloodstreams were actually more likely to succumb to the
disease than those with more moderate levels; this may simply be a sign that
they were getting too much fat in their diets.7 So while more research is
needed to sort out what is the right amount of vitamin E, it is prudent to
choose foods that are moderate in the vitamin, rather than extremely high
or low.

In addition, researchers have found that individuals eating vitamin E–rich
foods also tend to have improved immunity. But increasing vitamin E intake to
high levels through supplements can impair immune function.8 The best advice
appears to be to stick with food sources and avoid vitamin E supplements.
The amount of selenium in plants varies depending on the amount
present in the soil where they grow. But, given modern food distribution
patterns, your rice is likely to come from one place, your beans from
another, and so on. So your selenium intake is likely to be reasonably generous
if you include grains and legumes in your daily routine.

Good Sources of Vitamin E and Selenium