All About Vitamin E

Are there Differences in Vitamin E supplements?

Not all Vitamin E supplements are equal, in fact some products are quite inferior compared to others. The benefits of Vitamin E do not all come from one specific molecule of the vitamin, but instead from related molecules called tocopherols and tocotrienols. The tocopherol family includes alpha, beta, gamma and delta forms of the molecule, and the tocotrienol family includes alpha, beta, gamma and delta forms. Alpha tocopherol is the form measured in International Units (IU), therefore is the type usually referred to in most supplements.

What about the other forms of tocopherols? The major types of Vitamin E supplements available today are as follows:

1    Synthetic Vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopherol). This is the cheapest chemically produced type and is not like the spectrum of eight natural forms of Vitamin E and should not be considered identical to the natural forms.

2    Natural Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol). This is derived primarily from soy, and is further processed to produce a supplement that is all d-alpha tocopherol. It is more costly than synthetic and provides twice as much IU as the synthetic version, but still only provides one of the eight natural forms of the vitamin.

3    Synthetic or Natural Vitamin E Esters (tocopheryl acetate, tocopheryl succinate and tocopheryl phosphate). By their nature, most antioxidants are chemically unstable; to stabilize these molecules, they are “esterified” to produce more stabilty. Once they are digested, the body converts them to tocopherols and they can them be absorbed. These esters are more stable if they are included in supplements containing copper or iron. However, these minerals can pose health risks for certain individuals.

4    Natural Tocopherol-Tocotrienol combinations. These are obtained from natural sources like palm, coconut or rice bran oils. They contain all four types of each family: alpha, beta, gamma and delta. Since the natural sources may vary, the quantities of tocopherols and tocotrienols will vary as well.

5    Natural Mixed Tocopherols. These are isolated and concentrated from plant source oils with no further processing and can contain variations of the four forms. However, only the alpha form is typically listed in IU’s. There is one product, Unique E, which contains a consistent amount of of the four natural forms of Vitamin E. Research has shown that the gamma and delta forms have different functions in the body than the alpha form.

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   Stephanie Cross says:

   October 13, 2011 at 11:12 pm

   Such clarity and concise information is so helpful. Thanks Doc for all you do!

   reply