The Healing Power of Tocotrienols

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin which was discovered in 1922. It is a renowned antioxidant, meaning that it reduces and prevents cell damage by slowing both the oxidation of fats and the formation of free radicals in the body.

There are two forms of vitamin E: tocotrienols and tocopherols. Research shows that cellular uptake of tocotrienols is up to 70 times higher than that of tocopherols.

This is because tocotrienols have a particular structure that makes them more readily incorporated into cell membranes than tocopherols, which in turn allows for more efficient penetration into tissues with saturated fatty layers, such as the brain and liver.

In addition to having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, they work to balance blood sugar, boost immunity, and protect the liver, kidneys, and nervous system. Research also indicates that tocotrienols benefit bone health and improve cognition.

They are particularly important for heart health, helping to reduce cholesterol, inflammation, and the free radical damage and oxidative stress in cardiovascular system tissue that can negatively affect heart health.

Elevated cholesterol is not just a risk factor for cardiovascular disease; it also causes endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Tocotrienols have important and very specific cholesterol-lowering properties, created by their effect on HMG-CoA reductase (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase), which is an essential enzyme that is a rate-limiting step in the synthesis of cholesterol.

One study of people with hypercholesterolaemia found that supplementing with tocotrienols (250 mg daily for four weeks) resulted in significant reductions in total cholesterol (-15%), LDL-cholesterol (-18%), and triglycerides (-14%).

These studies reveal various specific ways in which tocotrienols are able to bestow these many benefits; for example, they are involved in gene expression and cell division, as well as cellular growth and signaling, and have been shown to improve the body’s response to glucocorticoids, which are steroid hormones released by the adrenal glands that can cause or worsen allergic, inflammatory, autoimmune, and age-related disorders.

It is well known that elevated oxidative stress in the body can result in uncontrolled inflammation, which in turn causes various chronic diseases, including heart disease, atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes. Tocotrienols have exceptionally powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which they provide by supporting and improving the production of various antioxidant enzymes in the body, such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase.

Tocotrienols have been shown to be of special benefit in suppressing several of the more severe inflammatory markers, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), which is associated with cancer, inducible nitric oxide synthase, which has been implicated in neurodegeneration, and interleukins, which can compromise immune function. Of particular interest is a clinical trial showing that a program of tocotrienol supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in DNA damage rates after just three months.