Understanding E

Next to vitamin C, vitamin E is probably the most familiar vitamin. Still, there is no clear consensus on what kind people should take.

For starters, which form of the supplement is better, alpha-tocopherol or gamma-tocopherol? Gamma-T is more prevalent in the American diet, probably because soybean oil, corn oil and canola oil are frequently used in margarine and baked goods. Yet alpha-T is five times higher in blood plasma than gamma-T. Most vitamin E supplements are forms of alpha-T, and plasma levels of gamma-T decline with alpha-T supplementation. To date, we don't know if this reduction is important.

With the uncertainty between the two, a prudent approach to vitamin E supplementation for a healthy person may be to take mixed tocopherols. Since alpha-T is stored and also preserved in plasma, supplementing only every other day allows the body more access to dietary components with which the presence of high alpha-T may interfere.

For informational purposes only. Contents should not be used as medical advice.