What is the use and function of VITAMIN E ?
Vitamin E is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that includes eight naturally occurring compounds in two classes designated as tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these compounds exhibits different biological activities. d-a-Tocopherol has the highest biological activity and is the most widely available form of vitamin E in food. The other isomers (b, g, d), some of which are more abundant in a typical Western diet, are less biologically active than d- a-tocopherol. The commercially available synthetic forms of vitamin E are comprised of approximately an equal mixture of eight stereoisomeric forms of a-tocopherol. For practical purposes, 1 international unit (IU) of vitamin E is referred to as 1 mg of the synthetic form, racemic a-tocopherol acetate, and the natural form of d-a-tocopherol has a biopotency of vitamin E equal to 1.49 IU. The most widely accepted biological function of vitamin E is related to its antioxidant properties. Vitamin E is the most effective chain-breaking lipid
