Features

• Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin. 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 defenses. Some free radicals escape these defenses, and tend to accumulate. Research suggests that this accumulation of free radicals can harm the body.