Mixed evidence on vitamin E

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

New lab studies show that the two forms of vitamin E have very different impacts on cells.
The vitamin E found in corn and soybeans is known as gamma-tocopherol and this is the type which is most common in the US diet. The other form, differing by a slight variation in chemical structure, is alpha-tocopherol and it is found in olive oil, almonds, sunflower seeds and mustard greens.

A team at Ohio State University report from experiments done on the brain cells of mice. They find that gamma-tocopherol undergoes chemical reactions that result in the death of the cells, an effect not seen with alpha-tocopherol. Most of the vitamin E in the body is alpha-tocopherol, whatever the intake is. Some vitamin E supplements are made of gamma-tocopherol but the body seems to "select against" this, which is just as well, given the adverse effect reported in this study. Meanwhile, other research gives mixed results on Vitamin E - some show it protects from cancer and heart disease, others that it actually increases the risk. Maybe the different biological effects of the alpha and gamma forms may have something to do with the mixed data on vitamin E's benefits.

Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition 3rd March 2006

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