Mechanisms of Vitamin E Regulation: Research Over the Past Decade and Focus on the Future

Abstract

This paper discusses the developments in human vitamin E research since 1990. New methodologies such as the use of stable isotopes, advances in vitamin E measurements, and isolation and cloning of specificα-tocopherol binding proteins have facilitated investigation of α-tocopherol absorption, metabolism, and transport in humans in vivo. Changes in food production in the United States and dietary intake impacted vitamin E availability and intake. Epidemiologic and therapeutic studies have pointed to its role in disease prevention and in healing processes. Specific molecular functions ofα-tocopherol have been the most recent and surprising new findings and are an important area for future experimentation. Given the aging of the American population and the potential role for α-tocopherol in preventive medicine, the study of the molecular functions of vitamin E promises to provide some of the most exciting discoveries of the next decade.