Endokrinologie und Diabetesforschung

Physiobiochemical Significance of Vitamin E and other Tocopherols in the U.S. Diet: Cancer Promoters or Preventers?

Leonard E. Gerber

Physiobiochemical Significance of Vitamin E and other Tocopherols in the U.S. Diet: Cancer Promoters or Preventers?

The Food and Nutrition Board only includes alpha-tocopherol(AT),among the 8 phytochemicals with similar structure, in determining the recommendations for vitamin E. This decision was made because AT provides the highest level of protection against fetal resorption in rat dams, the criterion used to determine vitamin E activity. Several recent reviews, however, have described the numerous studies demonstrating the anticarcinogenic properties of the other vitamin E-like phytochemicals upon breast, prostate,colorectal and lung tumors in human populations, animal models and cell culture.