Vitamin E Promotes Healthy Cholesterol Profile

Tocotrienols are a form of vitamin E. While generally found in minor amounts in plants, tocotrienols are found abundantly in palm oil, cereal grains and rice bran.  Siok-Fong Chin, from Universiti Kebangsaan (Malaysia), and colleagues enrolled 62 subjects and randomly assigned them to receive 160 mg of day of a tocotrienol-rich Vitamin E supplement, or placebo, for six months.  At the end of the study period, results showed that only the participants over the age of 50 experienced increases in vitamin E levels after 6 months of supplementation. However, both age groups (35-49, and over 50s) displayed an improvement in the ratio of HDL to total cholesterol in both age groups after supplementation, compared to placebo.  The researchers also reported an increase in the activity of various antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidise in participants receiving the vitamin E supplementation.  The team concludes that: “The observed improvement of plasma cholesterol, [age glycation end products], and antioxidant vitamin levels as well as the reduced protein damage may indicate a restoration of redox balance after [tocotrienol-rich Vitamin E] supplementation, particularly in individuals over 50 years of age.”