Vitamin E
About Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a collective term for eight fat soluble compounds, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols, of which alpha tocopherol is the form the body preferentially retains. Official recommended intakes vary by age. As the main fat soluble antioxidant, vitamin E protects polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes and lipoproteins from lipid peroxidation, and the oxidized vitamin can be regenerated by vitamin C. It was discovered in 1922 as a dietary factor needed for reproduction in rats, which gave rise to the name tocopherol. Deficiency is rare in healthy people but occurs in premature infants and in conditions of fat malabsorption such as cystic fibrosis, abetalipoproteinemia and cholestatic liver disease, causing hemolytic anemia, peripheral neuropathy, ataxia and impaired immunity. Rich sources include vegetable oils, nuts and seeds. High dose supplements may interfere with vitamin K dependent clotting, and in the SELECT trial vitamin E supplementation was linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer. Natural vitamin E is more bioavailable than the synthetic form.
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