Identify groups of people who are at risk for vitamin E deficiency, in addition to those with diseases

Answer 1

When blood concentrations of vitamin E fall below a certain critical level, the red blood cells tend to break open and spill their contents, probably because the PUFA in their membranes oxidize. This classic vitamin E–deficiency symptom, known as erythrocyte hemolysis, is seen in premature infants born before the transfer of vitamin E from the mother to the fetus that takes place in the last weeks of pregnancy.
In adults, vitamin E deficiency is usually associated with diseases, notably those that cause malabsorption of fat. These include diseases of the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas, as well as various hereditary diseases involving digestion and use of nutrients.
On rare occasions, vitamin E deficiencies develop in people without diseases. Most likely, such deficiencies occur after years of eating diets extremely low in fat; using fat substitutes, such as diet margarines and salad dressings, as the only sources of fat; or consuming diets composed of highly processed or "convenience" foods. Extensive heating in the processing of foods destroys vitamin E.