What is the deal with vitamin E? Lately it’s getting as much controversial press as Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie! Surveys show that many would-be consumers are feeling unsettled, wondering whether or not vitamin E supplements are OK to take. If you’re having a similar reaction, we strongly encourage you to visit www.supplementinfo.org, which has been set up by the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau to help clear up this issue. Visitors will find referenced materials explaining the analysis that is generating news headlines, and they’ll get the facts on why vitamin E is safe and beneficial.  

That matter straightened out, you’re now ready to begin selecting the right vitamin E supplement. But what’s this? You’re feeling more confused than ever! With all the vitamin E choices, how does one know which one is best?  Understandably, with terms like tocopherol and tocotrienol preceded by adjectives like alpha, beta, gamma and delta (Huh? Did the Greeks discover vitamin E?), the prospect of picking a vitamin E supplement seems formidable. What about “natural” versus “synthetic?” And then there’s Larry King on the radio talking about some kind of advanced vitamin E! Not to worry, though…we’re here to help you sort it out.

The question here is whether synthetic vitamin E, which has been wholly manufactured in a laboratory, is as effective as natural vitamin E, which has been extracted from soybean and other vegetable oils. While they appear to be identical in chemical composition, the answer is still no, it is not as effective. Both the FDA and the USP recognize natural vitamin E to be 36 percent more potent than synthetic vitamin E, and according to the National Institute of Health (NIH), studies indicate that the natural form actually may be twice as potent. Whatever the percent, everybody is in agreement. The human body prefers natural vitamin E, and studies show that it is retained longer than synthetic vitamin E in the bloodstream.

We do not even offer a synthetic form of vitamin E as a single ingredient supplement, although there may be a product or two that contains it as one of multiple ingredients in a combination formula. Keep in mind, however, that synthetic E is not bad for you; it just isn’t as good as natural vitamin E.

You’ll know if a vitamin E supplement is natural or synthetic by the way the ingredient is expressed in the supplement facts box. A natural form always uses the letter “d” as a prefix to the name (d-alpha tocopherol), while the synthetic form uses the letters “dl” (dl-alpha tocopherol).

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Think of vitamin E as a family of compounds, and each of the various members of the family has a specific function. All family members are either a tocopherol or a tocotrienol (male or female for the purpose of our analogy), and there are four members of each group in this family of eight. The four tocopherols and the four tocotrienols are named alpha, beta, gamma and delta (OK, it’s a weird family), and current research indicates that the alpha tocopherol is the most active and hardest working compound of all eight. (We won’t even discuss whether this is the mother or the father of the family!)

Up until recently, all vitamin E supplements supplied only the alpha tocopherol compound. In fact, less then 75 years ago, the belief was that vitamin E’s benefit was primarily for reproduction, but oh, what we didn’t know! We had yet to discover the vast significance of this nutrient on our entire body. As research continued and new light was shed on vitamin E, its importance as a powerful antioxidant emerged to the fore. Still, researchers had really only isolated and studied one of the eight “family members”—the alpha tocopherol. Within the past few years the other three tocopherols and all four tocotrienols have been discovered, with research showing new insight into their specific health functions, too. For instance, gamma tocopherol may be a better antioxidant for prostate health than alpha tocopherol, while the tocotrienols are demonstrating effectiveness for supporting liver and cholesterol health in new ways.

It’s exciting to think that we don’t know everything! Rather, scientists continue to learn fascinating facts about how this tiny vitamin found in oils, seeds and nuts specifically keeps us feeling young and healthy. As the research continues, it definitely appears that the eight compounds complement one another and function best as a whole unit rather than as isolated compounds. That doesn’t mean alpha tocopherol has no merit; it means that it has even more merit when it’s combined with its 7 other counterparts.

Assume that if the supplement facts box does not list all the individual compounds, the vitamin E supplement provides alpha tocopherol only. The potency of alpha tocopherol is expressed in International Units (IU), whereas the other 7 compounds are measured in milligrams (mg).

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This is the vitamin E that Larry King endorses on the radio. Ester-E’s patented process joins natural d-alpha tocopherol to a phosphate molecule, and this step protects its antioxidant potential during absorption, transport and storage in the body. Many natural vitamin E supplements provide esterified forms of alpha tocopherol like d-alpha tocopheryl acetate and d-alpha tocopheryl succinate because they are more stable than unesterified forms (alpha tocopherol). To activate the antioxidant benefits, pancreatic enzymes first remove the succinate or acetate and then the free tocopherol form is absorbed. While Ester-E (d-alpha tocopheryl phosphate) is also in a stable form, it does not require this conversion to alpha tocopherol in order to activate its antioxidant benefits. It’s ready to get to work! That’s why Ester-E is also referred to as a “body-ready” form of E. For individuals with healthy digestive systems, these typical forms present no problem whatsoever, but for anyone with an impaired digestive system, the Ester-E form may be more advantageous. Also, Ester-E does not appear to be used up as fast in the body as regular alpha tocopherol.

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A growing number of experts believe that vitamin E succinate (dry E) may be the best form of vitamin E with regards to cell protection. Because it is water-soluble, it can reach and benefit parts of the body that the regular fat-soluble forms of vitamin E cannot. A full-spectrum E is not yet available in this form. However, the Longevital vitamin and mineral complex in the Lee Swanson Signature Line (SWL001) provides E succinate, as does Swanson Premium Brand Active One (SW833 and SW834).

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