Non-Nutritive Bioactive Food Constituents of Plants: Tocopherols (Vitamin E)

Abstract

An increasing body of data, especially the in vitro and cell culture studies support protecting effects of tocopherols. They indicate that there is a selective tocopherol transport in the human liver with a higher affinity for a-tocopherol, however, they also show that in food, gamma- and delta-tocopherol are a more potent antioxidant than alpha-tocopherol. Tocopherols as alpha group are the key antioxidants in human cell membranes and are also important in protecting the LDL particles. These LDL particles and other similar intermediate markers of oxidative stress show a good response to tocopherol intakes. Published data underline the role of tocopherols as protecting agents against oxidative stress. They therefore allow the assumption that alpha-tocopherol is probably effective in preventing atherosclerosis, although no proven direct relation to the outcome of the disease itself exists.