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

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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 specific α-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 of α-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.