What Is alpha-Tocopherol & What Foods Can I Find It In?
alpha-Tocopherol is one of the eight compounds that are commonly called Vitamin E.
Four tocopherols and four tocotrienols, all with distinctive antioxidant activities.
alpha-Tocopherol has the highest vitamin E activity compared to the other three tocopherols.
Tocopherols are essential for humans, but alpha-tocopherol is the only form that is recognized to meet human requirements.
Table of Contents
alpha-Tocopherol Is Essential
Vitamin E is the most potent, fat-soluble antioxidant in human plasma.
It is an essential nutrient. (source ◳)
Vitamin E is the collective term of eight naturally occurring compounds consisting of four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). (source ◳)
alpha-Tocopherol is the most common form of vitamin E, and is found in large quantities in vegetable oils.
It is a lipid-soluble antioxidant, which means it is able to enter cells and protect them from the damaging effects of oxidation.
Benefits Of alpha-Tocopherol
alpha-Tocopherol is a natural antioxidant.
alpha-tocopherol seems to be beneficial for the prevention of neurological disorders and may be the most effective antioxidant in the brain.
It also plays a key role in the functioning of the central nervous system.
You can find researched-backed benefits of alpha-tocopherol in alpha-Tocopherol: 9 Research-Backed Benefits .
alpha-Tocopherol Deficiency
The most abundant forms of vitamin E are alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol in foods.
Dietary requirements of vitamin E are limited to alpha-tocopherol because this is the only form that reverses vitamin E deficiency. (source ◳)
The fat-soluble property of vitamins is their ability to store within the fatty tissues of the body.
It means that it does not have to be consumed every day. Vitamin E deficiency is quite rare in humans. (source ◳)
How To Get alpha-Tocopherol
The best natural sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils, nuts, and whole grains.
While foods of animal origin are generally low in vitamin E. (source ◳)
Vitamin E is much dependent on vitamin C, vitamin B3, selenium, and glutathione.
A diet high in vitamin E cannot have an optimal effect unless you also eat foods that provide these other nutrients. (source ◳)
Vitamin E fortified foods
Foods are often fortified with vitamin E.
Most commonly is alpha-tocopherol used in fortification.
Foods You Can Find alpha-Tocopherol In
You find alpha-Tocopherol mostly in fats and oils, breakfast cereal, beverages, and baby food products.
Examples of food sources include
- Wheat Germ Oil
- Ralston Enriched Wheat Bran Flakes
- Kashi Heart To Heart Honey Toasted Oat
- Slimfast Shake Mix
- Whole Wheat Cereal
- Hazelnut Oil
- All-Bran
Foods in our nutrition tool
You can find regularly updated top ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.
If you are interested in what foods contain the most alpha-Tocopherol, we recommend you visit our tool.
Here's our top ranked list of foods that contain alpha-Tocopherol.
