Vitamin E works alongside other antioxidant nutrients including selenium, vitamin C, B-carotene and others to quench free radicals, peroxides and other potentially harmful substances. Vitamin E has a sparing effect on other antioxidants and vice versa.
Vitamin E (also known as the tocopherols) occurs naturally in foods such as nuts and seeds, whole grains, cold-pressed vegetable oils and dark-green leafy vegetables. There are 4 tocopherols occurring in foods – alpha, beta, gamma, delta (a, b, g and d). D-alpha tocopherol accounts for 80% of the activity of the vitamin; d,l -alpha tocopherol is the name given to synthetic derivatives which are composed of equal amounts of all the stereoisomers.
‘Mixed tocopherols’ on vitamin labels indicates that 80% of the natural d-alpha variety is present with the remaining 20% being a mixture of b, g and d. The tocotrienols, which are less distributed in nature than the tocopherols, have not been well studied. However, they have already been found to have a greater anti-tumor effect than the most biologically active tocopherol.
Vitamin E requires the presence of bile for absorption and only 20-30% of normal dietary vitamin E is absorbed (the percentage decreases with increasing dose). There is no correlation between serum levels and vitamin E stores.
Dietary fat must be sufficient in amount for adequate secretions of the lipases and bile. Like other fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, K), the absorption of tocopherols and tocotrienols will not be complete without the presence of dietary fat. Therefore their absorption in the bloodstream will be erratic, especially when taken in fasted condition. The consistency of bile and lipase secretions in between doses also plays a major role in determining the extent of absorption. New emulsified forms are becoming available which claim a 200%+ increase in absorption.
Getting vitamin E naturally from foods or using a mixed tocopherol supplement does have advantages over simple using the most commonly available alpha-tocopherol. For example, naturally occurring E was helpful in preventing Parkinson’s Disease, while supplemental E was not.
To obtain optimal health benefits from vitamin E, a mixture of tocopherols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) and tocotrienols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) are required. Some of the functions of these vitamin E fractions are similar while others are completely different. When taken together, these various forms of vitamin E work synergistically as a team to provide maximum benefits.
Caution: If you are taking anticoagulants, you should not take vitamin E supplements because vitamin E has its own anticoagulant properties.
November 2004 Taking too much vitamin E has been linked to an increased death risk, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s annual scientific sessions in New Orleans. Daily intake of vitamin E at doses exceeding 400 IU was linked to an increased death risk.
The researchers pointed out that the majority of patients in the trials analyzed were over 60, and many suffered from pre-existing medical conditions, including heart disease. With this in mind, the study’s application to healthy, younger adults may be limited. Using a mixed tocopherol product, instead of only alpha-tocopherol, may eliminate this risk.