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Vitamin E (tocopherol)

Vitamin E is a generic name for a family of eight related compounds called tocopherols, with the alpha-tocopherol having the highest biological activity, and which is also associated with beta and gamma tocopherol. All eight compounds have a chromanol ring structure and a side chain. There are four tocopherol forms (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) with a fully saturated side chain; and four tocotrienol forms (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) having unsaturated side chains with double bonds at the 3', 7', and 11'positions in the side chain. The four compounds of both tocopherols and tocotrienols differ from each other in the number and position of methyl groups in the aromatic chromanol ring. Tocopherol compounds are mainly present in plant materials, and generally are present in highest concentrations in plant materials such as wheat germ, corn, sunflower seed, rapeseed, soybean oils, alfalfa and lettuce. d-Alpha-tocopherol has the greatest biological activity while its homologs have vitamin E activity to a lesser extent. Alpha-tocopherol in its natural state is easily absorbed and utilized in humans and animals. Vitamin E acts to prevent the production of peroxide lipid as a peroxide of an unsaturated fatty acid which is considered to be a material cause of the aging phenomenon, has a function of reinforcing blood vessels and activating the bloodstream, provides an anti-stress effect, and is a very important nutrient for human beings. Tocotrienols, due to their unsaturated side chains, provide much stronger antioxidant effects and protect against oxidation of "bad" cholesterol, LDL, which, if oxidized, leads to buildup of plaques in arteries and increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The beneficial effects of tocotrienols also include cholesterol lowering, tumor suppressive effect, and inhibition of blood platelet aggregation. Vitamin E may reduce the toxicity of metals and protect against free radical promoting environmental pollutants such as ozone, oxides of nitrogen, drugs, alcohol and smoking. Aging is essentially oxidative deterioration of tissues. Since vitamin E can prevent or slow down reactions of such oxidative damage, vitamin E may slow the aging process. The importance of antioxidants stems from the number of diseases where they play a preventive role, such as heart disease, cancer, and eye disease. Vitamin E is essential for normal immune function. Vitamin E mitigates the prostaglandin driven severity of inflammation, PMS and circulatory disorders. Insufficient vitamin E results in free radical mediated lipid peroxidation of membranes and their destruction. Vitamin E is the primary defense against cell membrane and DNA damage and protects LDL and other lipid-rich tissues against oxidation. Vitamin E prevents the oxidation of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Vitamin E protects the skeletal muscles, nervous system, and retina of the eye from oxidation. Processing of foods and feeds by industry for long term storage promotes accelerated degradation of effective vitamin E content. To compensate for the loss of natural vitamin E from food sources, nutritional supplements of natural or synthetic fat soluble vitamin E supplements are administered by injection or orally. Tocopherols tend to be unstable molecules so to provide tocopherol with a reasonable shelf life, tocopherols are normally supplied with an acetate or succinate group, making Vitamin E acetate or succinate (d- or dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate or succinate).

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