ABSTRACT
Do we need eight homologues and does each homologue exert speci•c function? This is one of the major questions on vitamin E. Among the eight compounds in the vitamin E family, α-tocopherol is by far the major type found in humans with smaller amounts of γ-tocopherol. The physiological concentrations of tocotrienols (T3s) are much lower than tocopherols (Ts). Thus, a question arises: Do we need T3, and why do some plants such as palm, rice, and annatto beans contain high T3s?
