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Vitamin E is a generic term for tocopherols and tocotrienols.[1] Vitamin E is a family of a-, ß-, ?-, and d-tocopherols and corresponding four tocotrienols. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that stops the production of reactive oxygen species formed when fat undergoes oxidation.[2][3][4] Of these, a-tocopherol (also written as alpha-tocopherol) has been most studied as it has the highest bioavailability.[5] It has been claimed that a-tocopherol is the most important lipid-soluble antioxidant, and that it protects cell membranes from oxidation by reacting with lipid radicals produced in the lipid peroxidation chain reaction.[3][6] This would remove the free radical intermediates and prevent the oxidation reaction from continuing. The oxidised a-tocopheroxyl radicals produced in this process may be recycled back to the active reduced form through reduction by other antioxidants, such as ascorbate, retinol or ubiquinol.[7] However, the importance of the antioxidant properties of this molecule at the concentrations present in the body are not clear and it is possible that the reason why vitamin E is required in the diet is unrelated to its ability to act as an antioxidant.[8]. Other forms of vitamin E have their own unique properties. For example, ?-tocopherol (also written as gamma-tocopherol) is a nucleophile that can react with electrophilic mutagens.[5] However, the roles and importance of all of the various forms of vitamin E are presently unclear,[9][10] and it has even been suggested that the most important function of vitamin E is as a signaling molecule, and that it has no significant role in antioxidant metabolism.[11][12] So far, most studies about vitamin E have supplemented using only the synthetic alpha-tocopherol, but doing so leads to reduced serum gamma- and delta-tocopherol concentrations. Moreover, a 2007 clinical study involving synthetic alpha-tocopherol concluded that supplementation did not reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in middle aged and older men.[13] For more information, read article tocopherol.
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