Tocobest^TM

Vitamin E Homologues

Natural& synthetic VE

Bioactivity

Tocobest^TM VE series

Absorption& transportation

Function

Dosage

Health risk of too much VE

The VE Controversy

The Safety

 FAQ

Contact us

Absorption and transportation of Vitamin E

Vitamin E contained in food is absorbed by the body in the intestines after the formation of mixed micelles by bile acids. Vitamin E is then transported by chylomicron to the liver. It is generally assumed that all tocopherols are absorbed equally in the intestines, but only α-tocopherol is selectively transported by α-TTP (α-tocopherol transfer protein) to blood because of the high affinity of the transfer protein in the liver for α-tocopherol.
Consequently, only α-tocopherol is incorporated into VLDL (a lipoprotein) because of this high affinity. This is the reason that α-tocopherol has a high biological activity in the body.

α-tocopherol circulates within lipoproteins such as VLDL or LDL, which act as transporters, into tissues and it plays a physiological role as a constituent of the biomembrane.

LCAT(lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase)
VLDL(very low density lipoprotein)	HDL(high density lipoprotein)
IDL(intermediate density lipoprotein)	FC(free cholesterol)
LDL(low density lipoprotein)	LPL(lipoprotein lipase)

Excretion

Unutilised a-tocopherol is metabolised in the liver and then excreted in urine. Some α-tocopherol is excreted in stool. It is also said to be excreted through sebaceous glands of the skin.

Distribution in the body

Vitamin E, like cholesterol, is found in almost all organs. Approximately 3 grams of Vitamin E is stored in the body of a healthy adult. The main reserves are in subcutaneous fat, muscles, and the liver. The concentration of Vitamin E per gram of tissue is high in adipose tissue (150.0 μg/g), in the adrenal glands (132.0 μg/g), in the pituitary gland (40.0 μg/g) and in the testes (40.0 μg/g).