Vitamin E is one of the great fat-soluble antioxidants. It can go where ordinary water-soluble antioxidants cannot. Vitamin E reduces oxidation of red blood cells and prevents oxygen from turning into harmful peroxide. It also protects other vitamins from oxidation in the digestive tract.
The eight members of the vitamin E family have some functions that are similar to each other, and others that are completely different. gamma-tocopherol may better decontaminate nitrogen radicals associated with neurological disease, inflammation and prostate cancer.