Posted by larryhoover on May 29, 2011, at 23:02:32
In reply to Re: just discovered vitamin E for sleep!, posted by Lao Tzu on May 22, 2011, at 16:46:48
> I don't know the best vitamin E to take, really. Natural d-alpha tocopherol is supposed to be preferred over synthetic, but that might be b.s. Some sources say mixed tocopherols are more therapeutic than d-alpha alone. I'd say if you can tolerate the mixed tocopherols, go with that, but I'm not an expert in vitamins. A lot of it is just marketing and less real truth about vitamins.
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> LaoThere is a lot more to vitamin E than just d-alpha tocopherol. When the vitamins were being identified, scientists really didn't have much of an idea what was what. For example, vitamin B was split into a number of different nutrients, and one of those, B-12, isn't a B-vitamin at all. Same goes for vitamin E. Depending on how a particular scientist defines the term, there are at least 16 different chemical structures that fall under the umbrella term vitamin E.
Trust me on this, more poor science has been based on the false assumption that d,l-alpha tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E) is a stand-in for the multiple and diverse substances that should have been included in the experiment, than perhaps with any nutrient.
You should look for a product that contains mixed tocopherols and mixed tocotrienols, at the very least. And I can assure you that if you use such a product, it will not contain any l-enantiomers, because these mixed products all have natural sources. Now Foods has a nice product called Gamma E Complex, but there are many others out there.
The fact that vitamin E is fat soluble is of no consequence, by the way. It's biological purpose is to serve as a fat-soluble antioxidant. Vitamin C serves an identical purpose in the water-soluble body compartment. In fact, vitamin E helps to recycle vitamin C, because they have a cross-over link.
Lar
poster:larryhoover
thread:985713
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20110512/msgs/986599.html