Vitamin E
Vitamin E
Vitamin E (Tocopherol) facts
- Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin
- Vitamin E is stored in many tissues
- Vitamin E works closely with vitamins A and C
- There are two types of Vitamin E supplements available
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that in order for it to be absorbed properly, there needs to be some fat in the diet and preferably the fat should be eaten at the same time as the food rich in vitamin D, to enable it to be absorbed quickly and easily.
Vitamin E is stored in many tissues in the body. The highest amounts of vitamin E are in the fat tissues and muscles, but there are concentrations of vitamin E in the pituitary gland, adrenal glands and testes (in men).
Vitamin E has an important role in working together with the other major antioxidant vitamins – vitamin A and vitamin C, it helps to prevent them from being damaged by free radicals. Adequate levels of vitamin E are required to strengthen the effectiveness and functionality of both vitamin A and vitamin C. These vitamins all enhance each other’s antioxidant actions.
People should always buy the natural form (d-alpha-tocopherol) of vitamin E in supplements, as it is much more superior to the synthetic one (dl-alpha-tocopherol) as it is more bioavailable to being easily synthesised in the body than the synthetic one. The natural form of vitamin E is the preferable one to buy.
