Vitamin E is an important vitamin that has antioxidant properties in your body. It helps protect cells by fighting off highly reactive free radicals that damage and destroy healthy cells. While this fat soluble vitamin has an array of functions, certain types have more biological activity in your body than others. For example, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate is a natural form of the vitamin that is highly active in your body.
Types of Vitamin E
The term "vitamin E" refers to a group of eight different compounds, including alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocopherol, as well as alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocotrienol. Alpha tocopherol has the highest measurable amount of biological activity in your body and has the highest concentrations in your blood, says the Office of Dietary Supplements. Since alpha tocopherol is so prevalent in the human body it is the only one acknowledged to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA of vitamin E. Tocopheryl acetate is the ester form of tocopherol, meaning it has an alcohol in the structure. Alpha tocopheryl acetate has equivalent bioavailability to alpha tocopherol.
Natural vs. Synthetic
Natural vitamin E has only one isomer, which is a compound that has the same chemical makeup of vitamin E, but different structure. Synthetic vitamin E is esterified to form eight isomers, only one of which has the identical chemical makeup of natural vitamin E. The remaining seven isomers have limited bioactivity in your body and have about half the function of natural vitamin E. In supplements and fortified foods, natural vitamin E has a "d" or "RRR" before the compound name, such as "d-alpha tocopherol" or "d-alpha tocopheryl acetate". Synthetic forms of the nutrient have "dl" or "all-rac" in front of the name, like "dl-alpha-tocopherol".
Functions
You need d-alpha tocopheryl acetate and other naturally occurring forms of vitamin E for several functions, in addition to its antioxidant properties. Vitamin E helps with immune function, keeping you healthy and warding off foreign bacteria. This nutrient also helps cells communicate or signal to one another and regulates gene expression through DNA and RNA, the genetic material within cells.
Recommended Dosage
Since d-alpha tocopheryl acetate has the same bioavailability as alpha tocopherol, the recommendations are the same, explains the Linus Pauling Institute. As an adult, you need 15 mg, or 22.4 IU of vitamin E in either of these forms each day. Alpha tocopherol comes from wheat germ, almonds, peanuts, soybean oil, spinach and sunflower seeds. You can get natural d-alpha tocopheryl acetate from supplements, but check with your physician before you begin supplementation.
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