The NIH recently updated its guidelines for the year…
Not only did they dismiss the health benefits of vitamin E, but they also made the outrageous claim that it’s potentially harmful. And they want you to stop taking vitamin E supplements entirely.1
Once again, our public health authorities couldn’t be more wrong…
You see, vitamin E isn’t a single nutrient. It’s eight vitamins in one — four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Together, they make up the most important fat-soluble antioxidant.
It’s the second group of tocotrienols that often goes overlooked. And from my research at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine, I’ve discovered that the real anti-aging strength of vitamin E lies in the power of its tocotrienols.
I began prescribing this unique form of vitamin E years ago to my patients with high blood pressure, heart trouble, and circulatory problems — and they all showed remarkable improvements.
Numerous studies show these supplements can stave off coronary disease, elevate HDL levels, and reduce inflammation.
That makes it a powerful heart nutrient. In one study, people who took this type of vitamin E for two years had a 40% reduced risk of heart disease.2
But, vitamin E’s benefits go far beyond the heart… New animal studies suggest that this nutrient can regulate your brain’s ability to receive and use DHA.3
As a regular reader, you probably know that your brain is 60% omega-3 fatty acid fat, and DHA makes up 40% of that.
In the brain, DHA forms DHA-PC, a critical component of neuron membranes. When neurons lose membrane integrity, they can’t function properly.
This backs up earlier research out of the Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia. In this two-year study, researchers found that tocotrienols substantially reduce the formation of scar tissue in your brain. These scar tissues, called white matter
lesions, are the markings of stroke, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.4Vitamin E gives your brain the material it needs to recover. It’s your first line of defense against damage to your most important organ.
Tocotrienols play an important part in almost every function in your body.
They have also been proven to safeguard against eyesight degeneration and even reverse obesity. Studies show that tocotrienols also help prevent weight gain from high insulin levels.5,6
These powerful antioxidants also mop up free radicals — biochemical molecules which are linked to cancer and aging.
I recommend tocotrienols as a hugely important anti-aging nutrient because they protect and lengthen your telomeres, the caps at the ends of chromosomes that determine each cell’s biological age.7
Longer telomeres signify more youthful health. Shorter ones signal faster aging and mean that you’re more prone to chronic diseases and reduced life expectancy.
My user research in my clinic has revealed that gamma-tocotrienol in particular is a powerful telomere protector. Another study from Malaysia showed that cells given gamma-tocotrienol were protected from telomere shortening.8
Choose the right kind of vitamin E
I tell my patients to make sure they are getting natural vitamin E tocotrienols. Avoid the synthetic substitutes used in most clinical trials. Most of the scientific research into vitamin E use these lab creations in their studies. The media – and the NIH in their new guidelines – rarely mention that. Here’s what I recommend.
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- First, get what you can from food. You have a lot of options in your diet. Some of my favorite ways to add vitamin E include nuts, eggs, and dark leafy green vegetables. Other excellent sources are palm oil and coconut oil. My favorite source is annatto oil. I first discovered annatto — the extract from the achiote tree — while on a research trip in the Andes Mountains. This substance contains more tocotrienols than any other source, roughly 15 mg per tablespoon.
- Then be sure to supplement. Not every product with the name “vitamin E” slapped on the label is going to give you the same benefits. Vitamin E in the form of all-rac-alpha-tocopherol-acetate or dl-alpha-tocopherol should be avoided. There are serious questions about their safety and whether your body even recognizes such substances. Supplement with 50 mg of tocotrienols twice a day. And like all fat-soluble vitamins, take them with a meal to increase absorption.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. National Institutes of Health. “Vitamin E Fact Sheet for Consumers.”
2. Rimm E, et al. “Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease in men.” New Engl J Med. 1993;328(20):1450-1456.
3. Linus Pauling Institute. “Vitamin E protects omega 3 fatty acids and the brain.”.
4. Gopalan Y, et al. “Clinical investigation of the protective effects of palm vitamin E tocotrienols on brain white matter.” Stroke. 2014 May;45(5):1422-8.
5. KYW Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross. November 11, 2015
vChong EW-T. Dietary antioxidants and primary prevention of age-related macular degeneration: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2007;335:755.
6. Zhao L et al. “Gamma-tocotrienol attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance by inhibiting adipose inflammation and M1 macrophage recruitment.” Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Jul 21..
7. Makpol S, et al. “Tocotrienol-rich fraction prevents cell cycle arrest and elongates telomere length in senescent human diploid fibroblasts.” J Biomed Biotechnol. 2011; 2011: 506171.
8. Makpol S, et al. “Gamma-Tocotrienol prevents oxidative stress-induced telomere shortening in human fibroblasts derived from different aged individuals.” Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2010;3(1):35-43.