Vitamin E and lipogenesis in the mammalian liver

Mice on tocopherol-supplemented and cod-liver-oil-enriched diets were given intraperitoneal injections of tritiated water. The fatty acids and cholesterol from their livers were then extracted and counted. Tocopherol supplementation depressed fatty acid but not cholesterol synthesis. Cod-liver oil (a vitamin E antagonist) elevated fatty acid but not cholesterol synthesis. In both cases, these effects were cancelled or reversed after about 20 days' ingestion of the diet.