Vitamin E (tocopherols) vs. Wheat Germ Oil

The literature reporting the advantages of wheat germ oil, or vitamin E, in the treatment of various disorders can be very confusing with respect to the exact material used. The following is from American Journal of Digestive Diseases, Vol. 12, no.1, Jan,1945. pages 20-21.

In a symposium held in London 1939 Vogt-Moeller stated, "Finally, let it be kept in mind that wheat germ oil, which so far has been the preparation most commonly employed for therapeutic trials, may contain many biologically active substances other than Vitamin E, and one must consider the possibility that some of these may have contributed to the observed effects. Even though this appears to me rather unlikely, the question can soon be settled with certainty by repeating the experiments with pure tocopherols. (commonly referred to as vitamin E)

In the work referred to above, Vogt-Moeller gives the results of just such an experiment. He points out that the various reports on the influence of vitamin E on neuromuscular disorders are confusing because vitamin E was used in some experiments while wheat germ oil was used in others. It has been shown previously that wheat germ oil contains factors other than vitamin E (Martin, G. J. : J. Nutrition, 13:679 (1937) ).

Vogt-Moeller planned an experiment involving 90 dogs affected by distemper. All dogs, including the controls, were placed on a balanced diet with a supplementary vitamin B-complex preparation. Before instituting treatment, he waited until all dogs had developed the initial symptoms of distemper. These usually preceded the development of neuromuscular disturbances.

Thirty dogs were the control group.

Thirty dogs were injected daily with 10mg of alpha tocopherol (vitamin E).

Thirty dogs were injected daily with 5cc of wheat germ oil, which contained 10mg of alpha tocopherol.

The results were as follows:

It appears that, for the first time, evidence has been presented of the presence in wheat germ oil of a factor that exerts a beneficial effect other than vitamin E (tocopherols). For many years it has been suggested that research workers in reporting their work make a sharp distinction between Vitamin E (tocopherols) and wheat germ oil. Vogt-Moeller's work makes such a distinction imperative.

Also the method of extraction of the oils determines there effectiveness.

I hope that this sheds a little light on the difference between the extracted tocopherols (also commonly called vitamin E) and the Vitamin E-complex that occurs in its natural form in wheat germ oil.