Dexter, referring to your comment

"refined soybean oil doesn't seem to have any of the things that make soy bad".

Did your further digging find that this is the case for all supplements with Soy, or do you think it may vary from brand to brand?

For example i have seen two brands that actually highlight that the 'bad stuff' has been removed (from the soy), one was Mercola;

"Mercola Vitamin E Mixed Tocopherols are derived from soybean oil. However, there is no reason to be concerned that these are from soy - as all of the negative elements of soy have been removed"

I also got this response from Mercola customer service

"It is the actual soy proteins and the phytoestrogens such as isoflavones that are removed from the Vitamin E. We have contacted the manufacturing facility to obtain a more definitive and precise answer and apologize that we were unable to provide a more definitive at this time"

(they never did get back to me with any further info).

Can't help you on the chemical process of turning a soybean into an oil and extracting the Vit E...but I would not get anywhere near a soy product.

Hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction associated with soy product consumption. Siepmann T, Roofeh J, Kiefer FW, Edelson DG.

Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders, Beth Israel Medical Deaconess Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Abstract Previous research has focused on the beneficial effects of soy and its active ingredients, isoflavones. For instance, soy consumption has been associated with lower cardiovascular and breast cancer risks. However, the number of reports demonstrating adverse effects of isoflavones due to their estrogenlike properties has increased. We present the case of a 19-y-old type 1 diabetic but otherwise healthy man with sudden onset of loss of libido and erectile dysfunction after the ingestion of large quantities of soy-based products in a vegan-style diet. Blood levels of free and total testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were taken at the initial presentation for examination and continuously monitored up to 2 y after discontinuation of the vegan diet. Blood concentrations of free and total testosterone were initially decreased, whereas DHEA was increased. These parameters normalized within 1 y after cessation of the vegan diet. Normalization of testosterone and DHEA levels was paralleled by a constant improvement of symptoms; full sexual function was regained 1 y after cessation of the vegan diet. This case indicates that soy product consumption is related to hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a combination of decreased free testosterone and increased DHEA blood concentrations after consuming a soy-rich diet. Hence, this case emphasizes the impact of isoflavones in the regulation of sex hormones and associated physical alterations.

This question I think has been on my mind since analyzing my nutrient daily intake. I get no where near close to 50% of the RDV of vitamin E ('RDV, so what?' you might say) through a varied diet of veges, coconut, beef, liver and moderate-low carbs. I seriously wonder if the recommended VitE consumption isn't achievable eating whole foods, unless I am missing some key food.

I haven't considered fruit yet however.

I did an experiment about the Vit.E which is purified from soybean. an elevation of fasting blood sugar in healthy volunteers was the result as compared with pure vit.E. what do you think the cause?

I'd prefer getting my E from much better sources. Red Palm oil for example. Cook a curry dish with it once a week or so, and you can get plenty; not only that, but you'd get a full spectrum of E, instead of DL-Alpha Tocopherols (the artificial version). You'd also get the gamma tocopherols which you likely won't find in most Vitamin E supplements.

I'm sure there are other sources as well, but this stuff is very tasty and a good source of fats.