Vitamin E
Chemical name:
Tocoferol
Description
This fat-soluble vitamin is not synthesized by the body.
Although it is stored in muscle and fatty tissue, it is nevertheless essential to consume it daily through the diet.
Although some animal products contain small quantities (eggs or milk fat), vitamin E is mainly provided by vegetable products: oils, sunflower oil for example (60 mg/100g), margarine (45 mg/100g), hazelnuts (24 mg/100g) or wheat germ (11 mg/100g).
The daily intake of tocopherol is around 12 mg.
The benefits
- Vitamin E exists in eight different forms. However, it is the α-tocopherol form, the most common form in nature, which has the highest biological activity.
- The main function of vitamin E is due to its antioxidant capacity, i.e. its ability to protect the body's cell membranes by scavenging the free radicals responsible for oxidative stress.
- Studies have shown that this vitamin protects DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative stress.However, vitamin E does not act alone: it works in synergy (coordinated action) with the other antioxidant defense systems present in the body (free radical scavengers, enzymatic systems, regeneration systems - the vitamin is one of them).
- Finally, it should be noted that vitamin E also plays a beneficial role in platelet aggregation (by preventing excessive aggregation) and in inflammatory processes (by inhibiting the formation of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins).
