Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin that protects cell membranes from damage. It is incorporated into the cell membranes and helps maintain their integrity throughout the body.

As an antioxidant vitamin E acts as a free-radical scavenger. Free radicals are common in the body, arising through a variety of mechanisms. Some are generated in the body as part of normal energy-producing processes, some are generated by pollutants such as air pollution, and some are generated by lifestyle factors such as excess dietary fats, cigarette smoke, and alcohol ingestion. Many of these free radicals are dealt with by the body’s own antioxidant defences. Some free radicals escape these defences and tend to accumulate. Research suggests that this accumulation of free radicals can result in cellular damage.

Vitamin E helps protect fat and cholesterol, particularly LDL-cholesterol, from oxidation. Fats and cholesterol are very susceptible to free radical damage, which leads to the formation of a toxic derivative called oxidized LDL-cholesterol. It is currently understood that LDL-cholesterol is only harmful to the body after it has become oxidized.