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α‐Tocopherol–a systematic review of intake and status globally
Author(s) -
Eggersdorfer Manfred
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.460.5
Subject(s) - dietary reference intake , observational study , medicine , reference daily intake , population , medline , vitamin d and neurology , systematic review , physiology , environmental health , biology , nutrient , ecology , biochemistry
Objective Review the published literature reporting vitamin E intake levels and serum concentration in order to obtain a global overview of vitamin E status. Vitamin E is essential for human health and achieving an optimal status is associated with beneficial health outcomes. Dietary recommendations are established in many countries around the world and refer to the important role of vitamin E in preserving the integrity of the cell membrane. The outcome and comparison of intake versus actual status should provide new insights for recommendations. Method A search in the Pubmed/Medline database focused on population based studies published between January 1 st 2000 and July 30 th 2012 and resulted in 176 articles referring to 132 single studies with reported intake and/or serum concentration. Results Applying a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 15 mg/d to all populations with a minimum age of 14 years, 82% and 61% of mean and median data points were below the RDA and EAR, respectively. Regarding serum concentrations, globally 13% of the included data points were below the functional deficiency threshold concentration of 12 μmol/L (F.a.N. Board 2000), mostly newborns and children. Several prospective observational studies suggest that a serum α‐tocopherol concentration of 30 μmol/L and above to have beneficial effects on human health. Of the reported study populations and subpopulations, only 21% reached this threshold globally. Conclusions The systematic review suggests that the vitamin E status is inadequate in a substantial part of the studies populations. This review could be a useful stepping‐stone for researchers to combine existing data, fill in data gaps and to understand more about the complex field of vitamin E and its impact on human health.