What
Form of Vitamin E is Best?
What Form of Vitamin E is Best?
By: Dr. George Obikoya
There is no denying that vitamin E is extraordinarily
beneficial for your body in many different ways. Researchers discovered
Vitamin E about eighty years ago, but only in the past few years
have we started to appreciate its power as an antioxidant.
Research studies have shown that Vitamin E fights oxygen free radicals,
and helps stave off diseases and enhance our overall health. Yet
most of us do not get even the recommended daily allowance of 30
International Units. Unless you want to drink two quarts of corn
oil and eat a pound of sunflower seeds everyday, the only way to
increase your Vitamin E intake is with supplements, preferably in
liquid form due to better absorption than pill form. Vitamin E deactivates
potentially damaging oxygen free radicals, and prevents heart diseases
and other related complications. People with exiting heart disease
who take Vitamin E have a 77% lower risk of subsequent (non-fatal)
heart attack that those who do not.
Vitamin E protects against prostate cancer. One recent finish study
reported a reduced incidence of prostate cancer in male smokers
who took 50 IU Vitamin E daily for five to eight years.
Vitamin E prevents or delays cataracts and macular degeneration.
Liquid vitamin E supplementation cuts the incidence of cataracts
in half. The risk of late stage macular degeneration, the leading
cause of blindness in the elderly, is significantly lower in older
adults who take high levels of Vitamin E.
Vitamin E helps prevent Alzheimer disease, particularly if combined
with vitamin C, both taken in high doses (greater than 400 IUs a
day for Vitamin E). Vitamin E boosts immune function. Some studies
have shown improved immune responses in older people who take liquid
vitamin E supplements.
You probably know there are different forms of vitamin E. You might
even know what these different forms are and how they are different.
But have you ever wondered what form of vitamin E is the best? Some
say that natural vitamin E is better than synthetic. Is this true?
What makes the best form the best?
If you are asking these questions, you will find the answers here.
True, Vitamin E is available in many different forms. In its natural
form, vitamin E is designated d-, as in-d-alpha-tocopherol, while
its synthetic forms are dl-, as in dl-alpha-tocopherol. The letters
d and l reflect mirror images of the vitamin E molecule.
Our body only recognizes the d form. Although the l form has antioxidant
activity, it may actually inhibit the d-form from entering cell
membranes. Therefore, natural vitamin E (the d form) has greater
benefit than the synthetic (dl). You should, therefore, take the
natural (d-) form of vitamin E and avoid the synthetic.
Whether or not the vitamin E is natural, there are several natural
tocopherols and related compounds known as tocotrienols that also
have health benefits. For example, while the vitamin E activity
of alpha-tocotrienol is rated at 30% compared to alpha-tocopherol's
100%, alpha-tocotrienol actually showed greater anti-tumor activity.
In a study of men with coronary artery disease, it was d-gamma-tocopherol
that was low, not d-alpha-tocopherol suggesting that d-gamma- may
be more important than d-alpha-tocopherol in preventing heart disease.
Natural vitamin E supplements containing mixed tocopherols including
the tocotrienols, in effect, seem to offer the greatest benefit.
Natural vitamin E is retained in humans at least two times greater
than the synthetic form of the supplement, according to a new study
published in the April 1998 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.1
The research, conducted with volunteer subjects in Canada and the
United States, is the second such study reported in the past two
months. The researchers found that first in blood, and then eventually
in organ levels, levels of natural vitamin E were almost double
those of synthetic vitamin E, and they were consistently found at
these levels.
Natural and synthetic forms of vitamin E are truly different. Previous
research has shown natural vitamin E is better retained and more
biologically active than synthetic. To identify the kind of vitamin
E in a supplement, you should read the ingredients listed on the
label, and you can tell which is the natural vitamin (starts with
"d," as in "d-alpha-tocopherol) and which is synthetic
(begins with "dl.")
Higher doses of vitamin E have been found effective in reducing
the risk of coronary heart disease. Both forms of vitamin E are
absorbed equally well through the gut, but the liver clearly prefers
the natural form, transferring it to lipoproteins to be transported
through the blood for deposition into the tissues. The natural vitamin
E is retained by a two-to-one ratio over the synthetic. Natural
vitamin E may cost 2 to 3 times more, but it is twice as effective.
You can sometimes find the natural vitamin E included in a quality
liquid multivitamin, at much lower cost.
In an earlier study, 2 researchers found natural vitamin E at three
times the concentration in the placental cords of pregnant women
than the synthetic form, after the women took supplements containing
both natural and synthetic forms of the vitamin. This is significant
because it suggests the placenta can deliver natural vitamin E to
the fetus much more efficiently than synthetic. The lesson: women
should take prenatal supplements that contain the natural form of
vitamin E.
A good multivitamin is the foundation of health
and nutrition. Take a look at our scientific reviews of many of
the popular brands for factors such as ingredients, areas of improvement,
quality level, and overall value. If you are looking for a high
quality liquid multivitamin, we suggest that you take a look at
the Multivitamin
Product Comparisons.
VITAPLEN COMPLETE™ contains 100% Recommended Daily Value (RDV) of Vitamin E and 165 scientifically formulated nutrients--all in a highly absorbable liquid formula.
References:
1. AM J Clin Nutr 1998;67:669-84.
2. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67;459-64).
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