vitamin E, sending mixed signals

Filed in archive Investigational , Studies on March 5, 2006

According to researchers at the Ohio State University, Vitamin E (the most powerful among antioxidants) has two forms that act differently from each other once inside animal cells.

Lost of studies done in the past 20 years have looked at the benefits of Vitamin E and other antioxidants. However, some studies have linked antioxidants including Vitamin E in certain cases to increased risk of heart disease, cancer and other major diseases.

The study conducted at Ohio State compared how the two most common forms of vitamin E (one is found primarily in plants like corn and soybeans, while the other is found in olive oil, almonds, sunflower seeds and mustard greens) affect the health of animal cells.

It was found that the main difference between the two forms is a slight variation in their chemical structures. Gamma-Tocopherol is the kind of Vitamin E found in corn and soybean oil which actually destroys animal cells, while the other form Alpha-Tocopherol did not harm the cells.

In the US, diets are corn and soybean oil rich. So in effect people are consuming more gamma-Tocopherol while the body prefers the alpha form.

The study is published in this week's early edition of the Proceedings of the Academy of National Sciences. While it doesn't get into the possible effects on health, the researchers raise the point that there is still a great deal that isn't known about how antioxidants act in the body.

Source: [Ohio State Research News]