Vitamin E

Article By:

Kayden, Herbert J. Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York.

Last reviewed:August 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.734500

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• Vitamin E, published June 2014:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

Any of a group of eight fat-soluble compounds, consisting of tocopherols and tocotrienols, that are widely distributed in nature. Vitamin E is a collective term used to describe four tocopherol compounds and four tocotrienol compounds that are naturally occurring. Specifically, the fat-soluble compounds are α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol (see illustration) and α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocotrienol. Structurally, each of these compounds has a chromanol ring and a hydrophobic side chain. Vitamin E compounds are especially prevalent in edible vegetable oils, including wheat germ, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, canola, soybean, and corn oils. Unprocessed grains, nuts, and vegetables are other sources. When used as supplements, there are two vitamin E products available: natural source RRR α-tocopherol and synthetic all-racemic-α-tocopherol (all-rac-α-tocopherol). The latter type is a mixture of eight different stereoisomers, of which only one is RRR α-tocopherol. See also: Fat and oil (food); Nutrition; Vitamin

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