Vitamin E is a cheap, nontoxic food additive or dietary supplement. The vitamin is such a poor antioxidant that very little, if any, increase in stability is attained by its addition to any food product containing linoleic acid or other more highly unsaturated fatty acid. Increased ingestion of vitamin E results in decreased absorption. Since a-tocopherol is present in tissues largely in subcellular membranes, it is not surprising that incorporation and storage in such sites is severely restricted. On the basis of the kinetics of autoxidation in vitro, it does not seem reasonable to expect massive ingestion of vitamin E to significantly ameliorate slow deteriorative processes, such as those associated with the generalized phenomenon of aging.