Non-nutritive bioactive food constituents of plants: Tocopherols (vitamin E)

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 alpha-tocopherol, however, they also show that in food, gamma- and delta-tocopherol are a more potent antioxidant than alpha-tocopherol. Tocopherols as a 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.