This paper discusses the developments in human vitamin E research since 1990. New methodologies such as the use of stable isotopes, advances in vitamin E measurements, and isolation and cloning of specific alpha-tocopherol binding proteins have facilitated investigation of alpha-tocopherol absorption, metabolism, and transport in humans in vivo. Changes in food production in the United States and dietary intake impacted vitamin E availability and intake. Epidemiologic and therapeutic studies have pointed to its role in disease prevention and in healing processes. Specific molecular functions of alpha-tocopherol have been the most recent and surprising new findings and are an important area for future experimentation. Given the aging of the American population and the potential role for alpha-tocopherol in preventive medicine, the study of the molecular functions of vitamin E promises to provide some of the most exciting discoveries of the next decade.