Open AccessBioavailability of vitamin E in humans: an update
Author(s) -
Borel Patrick,
Preveraud Damien,
Desmarchelier Charles
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
nutrition reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.958
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1753-4887
pISSN - 0029-6643
DOI - 10.1111/nure.12026
Subject(s) - bioavailability , micronutrient , vitamin , absorption (acoustics) , vitamin d and neurology , human health , biology , medicine , physiology , endocrinology , pharmacology , environmental health , pathology , acoustics , physics
Vitamin E is essential for human health and may play a role in the prevention of some degenerative diseases. Its bioavailability, however, is wide ranging and is affected by numerous factors. Recent findings showing that the intestinal absorption of vitamin E involves proteins have raised new relevant questions about factors that can affect bioavailability. It is, therefore, opportune to present a current overview of this topic. This review begins by exploring what is known, as well as what is unknown, about the metabolization of vitamin E in the human upper gastrointestinal tract and then presents a methodical evaluation of factors assumed to affect vitamin E bioavailability. Three main conclusions can be drawn. First, the proteins ABCA1 , NPC1L1 , and SR ‐ BI are implicated in the absorption of vitamin E . Second, the efficiency of vitamin E absorption is widely variable, though not accurately known (i.e., between 10% and 79%), and is affected by several dietary factors (e.g., food matrix, fat, and fat‐soluble micronutrients). Finally, numerous unanswered questions remain about the metabolization of vitamin E in the intestinal lumen and about the factors affecting the efficiency of vitamin E absorption.