Vitamin E in human body
Vitamin E is the main antioxidant that protects all cells from damage. It was discovered in 1922 in vegetable oil given the name ‘tocopherol’.
Vitamin E is the name given to a group of eight lipid soluble tocopherols and tocotrienols.
Vitamin E is only synthesized by plants, tocopherols are present in oil seeds, leaves, and other green parts of higher plants.
In contrast tocotrienols are not found in the green parts of plants, rather, in the bran and germ fraction of certain seeds and cereals.
Researchers have found that 120 IU of vitamin E supplementation daily greatly reduced DNA damage among men eating a diet high in polyunsaturated acids.
Observational studies have suggested that high intake of antioxidant including vitamins E, may lower the risk of some chronic disease, especially heart disease.
Different forms of vitamin E, other than alpha-tocopherol, have immuno-regulatory functions.
Alpha-tocopherol is the most common form of vitamin E occurring in human blood and tissue and it has the highest biological activity among all tocopherol and tocotrienols.
Alpha-tocopherol is the form of vitamin E that appears to have the greatest nutritional significant.
Vitamin E deficiency has been observed in individuals with severe malnutrition, genetic defects affecting the alpha-TTP, and fat malabsorption syndrome.
Severe vitamin E deficiency results mainly in neurological symptoms, including impaired balance and coordination, injury to the sensory nerves and damage to the retina of the eye.
