Tocotrienols of Vitamin E

Recommendation: Take 50 mg 2 or 3 times a week.

A valuable part of the vitamin E family that is seldom found in supplements. Just as well because they should be taken separate from vitamin E since alpha tocopherol in higher amounts may hinder tocotrienol absorption. Articles showing benefits of tocotrienols below, click on red underline:

This one for tocotrienols on inflammation and cancer:  Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2011 Jul;1229:18-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06088.x. 

Here tocotrienols help prevent cardiovascular damage by reducing inflammatory actions:  Lipids Health Dis. 2010 Dec 16;9:143.

Second reference is a review of resaearch that shows value for palm tocotrienols not only for cholesterol control but also for other vaulable tocotrienol actions.   ref  ref  ref

Caution: While a nutrient may have positive actions in one area, it is also necessary to discover if there are any other effects the nutrient may exhibit. While alpha tocotrienol helps lower cholesterol, it might also increase amyloid beta, a potential negative aspect on brain health. ref  This is a very real possibility here that nature, as happens with other nutrients, packages different nutrients together that have counter balancing actions.  Here is a study that used all 4 tocotrienols and found they were protective against amyloid beta build up. Other antioxidant supplements, Alpha lipoic acid, NAC, and vitamin E as tocopherols, also help prevent this amyloid beta build up as well. Synergism!  Thus, this is one reason why isolation of just one nutrient may present problems.  

Remember that Alpha tocopherol works against oxygen radicals while it is gamma tocopherol that works against nitrogen radicals. Testing just alpha tocopherol in the SELECT prostate study resulted in a slight negative response. Gamma T and alpha T are both needed to completely protect prostate tissue.

Tocotrienol Studies  Article