Tocotrienol (Vitamin E) and Red Palm Oil - Super Antioxidant

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More information from Bruce Fife's book STOP ALZHEIMER'S NOW.

In recent years there has been a wealth of exciting research on a relatively little known class of nutrients called tocotrienols.

Tocotrienols are super-potent forms of vitamin E, possessing up to 60 times the antioxidant power of ordinary vitamin E.

Their effects on health are far beyond that of regular vitamin E. Research shows that tocotrienols reduce high blood pressure, dissolve arterial plaque, extend lives of stroke and heart disease patients, possess powerful anticancer properties, and protect the brain from degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Ordinary vitamin E can be found in many foods. Tocotrienols, on the other hand, are not as common. They can be found in small amounts in some nuts, seeds, and grains. By far the most abundant source of these super antioxidants comes from palm oil. Palm oil is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin E in general, and by far the richest source of tocotrienols.

Because tocotrienols are powerful antioxidants, they are being investigated in the treatment of heart disease. Heart disease is characterized by atherosclerosis—build-up of plaque in the arteries. A number of studies have demonstrated the ability of antioxidants to prevent fat and cholesterol oxidation and, thereby, arrest the development of atherosclerosis. Although ordinary vitamin E is a potent antioxidant, it has only shown modest benefit in this respect. Palm tocotrienols, however, have shown to be very effective in stopping and even reversing atherosclerosis, and therefore, protecting against heart attacks and strokes.

Studies show that tocotrienols can actively remove plaque build-up in arteries and reverse the progression of atherosclerosis. This has been demonstrated in both animal and human studies. In one study, for instance, 50 subjects were divided into two equal groups. All the participants had been diagnosed with atherosclerosis and had suffered at least one stroke. At the beginning of the study the degree of blockage of their carotid arteries—the artery that feeds the brain—ranged from 15 to 79 percent. Without any other changes to their diets or medications, half of the subjects began taking a daily palm oil supplement containing tocotrienols. The other half received placebos and served as the controls. The degree of atherosclerosis was monitored using ultrasound scans over an 18 month period. In the group receiving palm oil (tocotrienolsz), atherosclerosis was halted in 23 of the 25 subjects. In seven of these subjects, atherosclerosis regressed. In comparison, none of those in the control group showed any improvement; in fact, in 10 of them, the condition worsened.18

This study demonstrated that tocotrienols not only stop the progression of atherosclerosis but can reverse it as well. Tocotrienols also help protect against heart disease and stroke by maintaining proper blood pressure. This powerful antioxidant inhibits platelets from sticking to one another, thereby “thinning” the blood. It also reduces inflammation and assists in keeping blood vessels properly dilated so that circulation remains normal and blood pressure stays under control. In one study, researchers induced inflammation in the arteries of test animals. Inflammation causes swelling, narrowing artery passageways and restricting blood flow to vital organs such as the heart. Half of the animals received tocotrienols in their diet while the other half served as the control. In the control group artery passageways were severely constricted and 42 percent of the animals died. However, those that received the tocotrienols showed far less inflammation and constriction, resulting in a 100 percent survival rate.

Tocotrienols strengthen the heart so that it can better withstand stress. Researchers can purposely induce heart attacks in lab animals by cutting off blood flow to the heart. This causes severe injury and death. However, if the animals are fed tocotrienol-rich palm oil beforehand, survival rate is greatly increased, injury is minimized, and recovery time is reduced.19

While tocotrienols appear to be powerful aids in preventing heart disease, they have gained more notice in the fight against cancer. Antioxidants have long been known to offer protection against various forms of cancer. Tocotrienols, being highly potent antioxidants, have demonstrated remarkable anticancer properties far superior to most other antioxidants, including their more common vitamin E cousins. Studies show tocotrienols inhibit the growth of skin, stomach, pancreas, liver, lung, colon, prostate, breast and other cancers. Most of the research to date has been done with breast cancer, where tocotrienols show great promise. Initial research has been so impressive that cancer researchers have called tocotrienols the most powerful natural anticancer substances known to science.20 That’s quite a bold statement, but it illustrates the potential of tocotrienols in cancer prevention and treatment.

The antioxidant power of palm oil has also shown to be of benefit in protecting against neurological degeneration. Two of the most significant factors that affect brain function are oxidative stress and poor circulation. Oxidative stress generates free radicals that damage brain and nerve tissue. Poor circulation affects the brain by restricting oxygen and glucose. Researchers have found correlations between oxidative stress and reduced blood flow to the brain to senile dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and even schizophrenia. All of these conditions involve brain cell death. Tocotrienols aid the brain by reducing oxidative stress and improving blood flow.

Researchers can mimic much of the destruction seen in the above neurological disorders by feeding test animals glutamate—an amino acid that in large amounts kills brain cells. The primary action of cell death is caused by free radicals. Ordinary vitamin E is not strong enough to prevent glutamate-induced cell death, but palm tocotrienols can quench the destructive action of glutamate. In laboratory studies tocotrienol-treated neurons maintain healthy growth and motility even in the presences of excess glutamate.21

Research is showing that tocotrienols can be of help with a number of common health problems including osteoporosis, asthma, cataracts, macular degeneration, arthritis, and liver disease as well as stunting the processes that promote premature aging. Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm. Palm fruit is about the size of a small plum. The oil is extracted from the fruit or pulp surrounding the seed. Palm fruit is a dark red color and produces an orange-red colored oil. This crude or virgin oil is called red palm oil. Red palm oil has undergone minimal processing, and retains most of the naturally occurring fat soluble vitamins and other nutrients. The red color comes from the rich abundance of beta-carotene and other carotenes in the fruit.

Red palm oil is a virtual powerhouse of nutrition. It contains far more nutrients than any other dietary oil. Besides being the richest natural source of tocotrienols, it is also the richest dietary source of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. It has 15 times more beta-carotene than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes. In addition, it contains lycopene, alpha-carotene, and at least 20 other carotenes along with vitamin E, vitamin K, CoQ10, squalene, phytosterols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and glycolipids. There are four tocotrienols—palm oil contains all of them. The combination of vitamin E, tocotrienols, carotenes, and other antioxidants makes red palm oil a natural super-antioxidant supplement. In fact, it is currently being encapsulated and sold as a vitamin supplement.

Please note that red palm oil is not the same as coconut oil. Besides the obvious difference in color, red palm oil does not contain any MCTs. Therefore, it does not produce the ketones needed by the brain. The benefit of red palm oil is its excellent cooking properties and its rich vitamin and antioxidant content. Palm fruit produces two types of oil; one from the fleshy fruit and the other from the seed or kernel. Red palm oil comes from the soft fruit. Palm kernel oil is extracted from the seed. The two are not alike. Palm kernel oil is almost identical to coconut oil, containing about 53 percent MCTs, and like coconut oil, is colorless. Red palm oil is available at most good health food stores and online. To learn more about the health benefits of tocotrienols and palm oil, I recommend the book The Palm Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife. THE ANTI-AGING DIET

Fife, Bruce. Stop Alzheimer's Now! (pp. 225-232). Piccadilly Books, Ltd. Kindle Edition.

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