Understanding the Benefits of All 8 Forms of Vitamin E -
Both the Tocopherol and Tocotrienol family groups

Below is an individual breakdown of the benefits of taking  each of the 8 types of vitamin E.   

Most vitamin E supplements only have the  d alpha tocopherol or its synthetic counterpart dl alpha tocopherol.

The complete Vitamin E family  is composed of:

• 4 forms of Tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma and delta)
• 4 forms of Tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma & delta)

Each of the 8 forms of vitamin E has its own individual biological activity and function in the body.   

The Benefits of each type of Vitamin E are as follows:

d-alpha Tocopherol:  (the type of Natural E that is in most vitamin E supplements)

• Powerful antioxidant that  protects cells against the effects of free radicals
• Supports immune function, protects the nervous system, slows the aging process
• Lowers serum cholesterol, reduces cellular adhesions
• Supports healthy circulatory system, aids proper blood clotting and wound healing
• Helps reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease, coronary heart disease, some types of cancer

d Gamma Tocopherol:  

• Protects against nitrogen-based free radicals, delivers strong anti-aging properties
• The best form of vitamin E to help guard against diseases associated with chronic inflammation (i.e. heart disease and degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease)
• Offers protection against breast cancer, prostate cancer and Type I diabetes
• discover more about d gamma vitamin E

Delta Tocopherol:

• Has the highest in-vitro antioxidant activity of the mixed tocopherol family
• Offers several anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective and potential anti-cancer properties

Beta Tocopherol:

• Protects against free radicals, toxins and chromosome damage
• Helps strengthen the immune system; energizes cells, blood vessels and connective tissue

d-alpha Tocotrienol:

• Helps inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol, lower LDL cholesterol, promote longevity
• Helps prevent lipid peroxidation
• Suppresses hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity that results in the lowering of LDL cholesterol levels. 
• Alpha-tocotrienol and gamma-tocotrienol have shown to prolong the life span of cancer-infected mice

d-beta Tocotrienol:

• Helps lower cholesterol and prevent LDL oxidation
• Reduces atherosclerotic plaque formation

d-gamma Tocotrienol:

• Inhibits the manufacture of cholesterol within the liver
• Reduces atherosclerotic plaque formation
• Hinders growth of human breast cancer cultured cells

d-delta Tocotrienol:

• The most powerful antioxidant of the entire vitamin E family
• The Delta form was found to be the most potent tocotrienols in inducing apoptosis (cell death) in estrogen-responsive and estrogen-nonresponsive human breast cancer cells.
• Reduces endothelial expression of adhesion molecules (preventing the accumulation of inflammatory cells within the arterial wall)
• Inhibits excessive aggregation of blood platelets more effectively than vitamin E

Mixed Tocotrienols:

• Protect against free radicals, help retard cellular aging due to oxidation
• Help maintain arterial health and reduce the risk of stroke and arteriosclerosis
• Lower blood pressure; supply increased oxygen to the body

The majority of vitamin E supplements only contain one type of this important vitamin, and even more sad is the fact that most of these poor quality vitamin E supplements  actually use the synthetic dl alpha tocopherol form of E.   

We therefore recommend that you take a full spectrum mixed tocopherols and mixed tocotrienols blend of Vitamin E, and the best all natural blend that we could find is Solanova's TocoSpan.

Also see:
Full Spectrum Vitamin E supplement - contains all 8 forms of E
more  facts and benefits of vitamin E
d Gamma Tocopherol - the new Heart E
Foods containing high Vitamin E content
Natural Vitamin E - don't get the synthetic dl form