3 ms·

It's probably a megadosage of vitamin E or a related compound. Studies from Nagasaki and Hiroshima showed that survival was highly correlated with vitamin E lev

It's probably a megadosage of vitamin E or a related compound. Studies from Nagasaki and Hiroshima showed that survival was highly correlated with vitamin E levels. If you take large amounts (>2000 IU or more) of vitamin E your skin won't sunburn as badly and possibly not at all depending on how much you take. The more vitamin E, the less the sunburn. There's no practical maximum dosage. Instead your skin will feel warm but won't hurt. It won't turn so red and in particular it won't blister and peel. You _will_ tan. Rather than die off quickly with massive inflammation, the skin loses cells slowly so that in about a week there will be a slight graininess to the skin. It does help, although not as much, to take large doses of vitamin E _after_ a sunburn. I'd recommend at least 10,000 IU for an adult sunburn. Here's a link (low dose = 400 IU): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11873518?dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11873518?dopt=Abstract Quotes from the linked article: "vitamin E at a dose of 400 IU/kg acts as a good radioprotectant against lethal doses of cobalt-60 radiation." "Vitamin E was more efficacious when given subcutaneously than when given orally." Which is why I recommend very high oral dosages.

dmm 17y ago
Isn't Vitamin E fat-soluble? Is it safe to consume such high levels for extended periods?
- giardini 17y ago
  like vitamin A, Vitamin E is fat-soluble. But an overdose of vitamin A can kill you. In contrast there is no LD50 level defined for vitamin E IIRC. There are anecdotal descriptions of unpleasant side-effects (e.g., diarrhea) but these are vague and may be the result of consuming a large amount of oil at one time (vitamin E is usually taken in oil solution), without ramping up the daily dosage slowly. To the best of my knowledge no one has ever died or suffered permanent ill effects from taking vitamin E. Vitamin D is also fat-soluble but much less toxic than vitamin A. You may have had your doctor recently test your blood for vitamin D levels. If you test low (and most do) you may be given a prescription of vitamin D of 50,000 units twice a week for 10 weeks or so. As recently as two years ago many doctors would have become alarmed should you tell them you took a vitamin D dose higher than 400 units/day. Obviously something has changed: vitamin D has proven to be much less toxic and far more efficacious than rumour and folklore medicine has said it was: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-13-vitamin-d-tests_N.htm http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-13-vitamin-d-tes... The revised recommendations for vitamin D were slow in coming. I had for years seen rickets in otherwise well-nourished children resulting from parents slathering sunscreen on their offspring before every outing. Nieces and nephews were affected by the overzealous recommendations of the American Academy of Dermatology. After all this time vitamin D proves to be a keystone ingredient to preventing cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, indeed most diseases. My point is that, just because a vitamin is "fat-soluble" doesn't mean that megadoses will hurt you. Most of the lore associated with the term is from vitamin A's history. If you get a serious sunburn or burn take a big dose of vitamin E. It will help and, unlike CBLC102, it is cheap and readily available _today_. If you fear nuclear terrorism then my recommendation is to buy a bottle of vitamin E and put it on your kitchen shelf. Next time a nuclear bomb goes off in your neighborhood take a mouthful and run like hell.
MaysonL 17y ago
Hmmm... so that's why my radiation oncologist says don't take antioxidant vitamins.

dmm 17y ago

Isn't Vitamin E fat-soluble? Is it safe to consume such high levels for extended periods?

giardini 17y ago
like vitamin A, Vitamin E is fat-soluble. But an overdose of vitamin A can kill you. In contrast there is no LD50 level defined for vitamin E IIRC. There are anecdotal descriptions of unpleasant side-effects (e.g., diarrhea) but these are vague and may be the result of consuming a large amount of oil at one time (vitamin E is usually taken in oil solution), without ramping up the daily dosage slowly. To the best of my knowledge no one has ever died or suffered permanent ill effects from taking vitamin E. Vitamin D is also fat-soluble but much less toxic than vitamin A. You may have had your doctor recently test your blood for vitamin D levels. If you test low (and most do) you may be given a prescription of vitamin D of 50,000 units twice a week for 10 weeks or so. As recently as two years ago many doctors would have become alarmed should you tell them you took a vitamin D dose higher than 400 units/day. Obviously something has changed: vitamin D has proven to be much less toxic and far more efficacious than rumour and folklore medicine has said it was: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-13-vitamin-d-tests_N.htm http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-13-vitamin-d-tes... The revised recommendations for vitamin D were slow in coming. I had for years seen rickets in otherwise well-nourished children resulting from parents slathering sunscreen on their offspring before every outing. Nieces and nephews were affected by the overzealous recommendations of the American Academy of Dermatology. After all this time vitamin D proves to be a keystone ingredient to preventing cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, indeed most diseases. My point is that, just because a vitamin is "fat-soluble" doesn't mean that megadoses will hurt you. Most of the lore associated with the term is from vitamin A's history. If you get a serious sunburn or burn take a big dose of vitamin E. It will help and, unlike CBLC102, it is cheap and readily available _today_. If you fear nuclear terrorism then my recommendation is to buy a bottle of vitamin E and put it on your kitchen shelf. Next time a nuclear bomb goes off in your neighborhood take a mouthful and run like hell.

MaysonL 17y ago

Hmmm... so that's why my radiation oncologist says don't take antioxidant vitamins.