Get reacquainted with the vitamin E you thought you knew

Silent Partners

I don’t often give vitamin E the short end of the stick. But I have to admit, that’s what I did in the e-Alert “High Cost of Free Advice” (5/18/09).

An HSI member named Jon writes: “You said, ‘an E supplement with the full spectrum of mixed tocopherols will probably produce the best results.’ Actually, there are 8 forms of vitamin E: 4 tocopherols, and 4 tocotrienols.

“There is research which shows that the tocotrienol forms are best at fighting heart disease and most beneficial in a number of ways, especially gamma and delta tocotrienol, and that alpha tocopherol is the least effective. Worse yet, alpha tocopherol can block the effectiveness of tocotrienols when taken together. If you can find and report verification of this, I’d appreciate it.”

Actually, I can answer most of Jon’s questions by going back – way back – to some of the earliest e-Alerts.

Icing the cake

A recent NutraIngredients-USA article called vitamin E tocotrienols an “emerging nutrient.”

In fact, researchers and nutritionists have known about and studied tocotrienols for many years. Nevertheless, their reputation has lagged behind tocopherols, so the public’s awareness of these other vitamin E forms really is still emerging.

But that will change. The power of the tocotrienol can’t be denied.

In an e-Alert I sent you nearly eight years ago, HSI Panelist (and antioxidant specialist) Dr. Randall Wilkinson offered this endorsement: “Double-blind, placebo-controlled human studies have shown that the tocotrienol form of vitamin E lowers cholesterol, improves LDL:HDL levels, and provides general heart-protection. And unlike statin drugs, you’re not at the mercy of potentially dangerous side-effects when you take them.”

In 2003, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., called tocotrienols “icing on the cake,” (the “cake” being the full spectrum of mixed tocopherols), and expanded on Dr. Wilkinson’s list of health issues that get a tocotrienols boost: “There has been considerable peer-review research concerning the benefit of tocotrienols in even more than just cardiovascular disease, to include aging, Alzheimer’s disease, breast disease and others.”

DNA repair tool

More recently, tocotrienol research has shown that these vitamin E forms may offer significant protection from the DNA damage that promotes cancer growth.

In the e-Alert “Armoring Your DNA” (10/22/07), I told you about a Malaysian study in which nearly 65 healthy adults received either a supplement that contained all four tocotrienols, or placebo. After six months, researchers found that significantly less DNA damage was apparent in the white blood cells of those in the tocotrienol group, compared to the placebo group.

Interestingly, the researchers reported that the reduction of DNA damage was most pronounced among older subjects.

Also of note – the tocotrienol supplement used in the study included alpha tocopherol. So it would appear – at least in this case – that alpha tocopherol didn’t undo the useful effects of the tocotrienols.

Back to Jon’s question about blocking effectiveness: Synthetic alpha tocopherol (known as dl-alpha tocopherol) probably DOES interfere with tocotrienols’ benefits. In fact, Dr. Spreen has stated flatly that dl-alpha tocopherol is such an inferior form that it shouldn’t be taken internally.

If there’s a downside to tocotrienols, it’s this one practical matter: In supplement form, full spectrum tocotrienols tend to be more expensive than full spectrum tocopherols. But so far the research would indicate that the extra expense is not wasted.

Tocotrienols are most abundant in palm oil, cereal grains, rice bran oil, and wheat germ oil. Talk to your doctor before making any substantial changes in your diet or supplement regimen.