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Vitamin E is a is a fat-soluble nutrient that acts as an antioxidant and free radical scavenger in lipophilic environments. It actually describes a a family of eight antioxidants, four tocopherols, alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-, and four tocotrienols (also alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-). The most important in terms of human nutrition is alpha-tocopherol which build normal cells and form red blood cells. The main sources of vitamin E in the diet are vegetable oils (especially sunflower oil and cottonseed oil), green leafy vegetables, nuts, cereals, meats, egg yolks, wheat germ, and whole wheat products. The nutrient is also available in supplement form although training and nutrition practitioners like Metabolic Diet's Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale noted that many brands don't have sufficient dosage (around half the daily requirement in most cases) required for athletic training. To address this gap, Metabolic Diet is offering MVM which provide the dosage that Dr. Di Pasquale feels is required for athletes - 400 IU.
The vitamin's big role is an anti-oxidant. During the metabolism process and during exposure to to environmental factors such as cigarette smoke or pollutants, free radicals are formed. Fats, which are an integral part of all cell membranes, are vulnerable to destruction through oxidation by free radicals. The fat-soluble vitamin, alpha-tocopherol, is uniquely suited to intercepting free radicals and preventing a chain reaction of lipid destruction. Thus, the nutrient maintains the integrity of cell membrane.
Vitamin E also provide protection against cardiovascular diseases. In a study conducted in Cambridge University, a team of researchers found that supplements reduced the risk of non-fatal heart attacks by 77 percent. The benefits were clearly noticeable after taking the vitamin for just one year.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 2,002 patients, with an average age of 61, over 18 months. Angiography, a type of heart x-ray, confirmed that all of the patients had coronary atherosclerosis.
About half of the patients received either 400 IU or 800 IU of the natural form of the vitamin, d-alpha tocopherol, each day. The other half received dummy capsules. On average, blood levels of vitamin E rose by 49 percent among those taking 400 IU and by 88 percent among those taking 800 IU daily.
Patients taking vitamin E were one-fourth as likely to suffer a non-fatal heart attack, according to an article by Nigel G. Stephens, MRCP, and his colleagues in Lancet (March 23, 1996;347:781-6).
The findings were even more remarkable considering that the vitamin E group was generally at a high risk for ''cardiovascular events.'' More than 37 percent had been diagnosed with serious coronary heart disease or already had triple-bypass surgery, and 24 percent had moderate or severe left ventricular dysfunction.
The cardiovascular benefits was initially attributed by the researchers to the prevention of oxidative damage to fats in low density lipoproteins (LDLs). LDL transport cholesterol from the liver to the tissues of the body. Oxidized LDLs have been implicated in the development of cardiovascular diseases.
However, they wrote that the extent of the risk reduction suggests that the benefit may be due to more than one mechanism, such as alpha-tocopherol-mediated reductions in platelet adhesion and aggregation, inhibition of vitamin-K-dependent clotting factors and oxidised-LDL-mediated stimulation of endothelin production and inhibition of nitric oxide production. However, it can be assumed that inhibition of oxidation is likely to exert its main effects by modification of plaque enlargement or plaque rupture
In 1997, a review of epidemiological research reported some protective effects of vitamin E against several cancers. They found that in randomized clinical trials, there were modest protective effects of vitamin E against prostate and colon cancer. However, there have been methodological problems in measuring the association of supplement use and cancer risk. For example, one study found people who take supplements are more likely to exercise regularly, eat four or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and eat a low-fat diet.
Sources:
http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/Vitamin_E.html
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminE/
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/cc/vite.html#what
http://www.dietitian.com/vitamine.html
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Personal Trainer Certification with the I.A.R.T.
Dr. Di Pasquale is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada, focusing on Nutrition and Sports Medicine, as well as a world class athlete for over twenty years... 
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