Download Tocotrienol-Rich Rice Bran Oil A New Natural

excerpts from Dr. Joseph Mercola's Comments on an article from
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition February 2005 Vol. 81(2) 508-514
"Are You Taking the Best Type of Vitamin E
Controversies have surrounded vitamin E ever since its discovery in 1922 and
there is still considerable confusion over what type of vitamin E is best.
Dietary vitamin E is found in certain nuts and green leafy vegetables, but
many Americans do not consume vitamin E-adequate diets (which range
widely from 100-800 units a day, depending on your metabolic type). It
seems obvious to me that vitamin E should ideally be consumed in its natural
state found in foods.
Please understand that vitamin E is actually composed of two natural
compounds, tocopherols and tocotrienols, each with four forms (alpha-, beta-,
gamma-, and delta-tocopherol, and alpha-, beta-, gamma- and deltatocotrienol).
Each form has its own potency and its own functional use in the body.
Additionally, research is beginning to focus on specific tocopherols and
tocotrienols, rather than on just "vitamin E." Studies are now emerging
that suggest tocotrienols, found in palm, rice bran and barley oils,
could be the most important part of vitamin E. Full-spectrum vitamin E,
which contains a mixture of tocopherols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) and
tocotrienols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma), may be a wise choice to protect
against disease and provide maximum benefits.
Nonetheless, the vitamin E most often referred to and sold in most
stores is a synthetic form of vitamin E called dl-alpha-tocopherol -but I do not recommend this type of vitamin E as it is synthetic. So please be
certain that check to see that your vitamin E supplement is not this type.
Please understand, however, that the best way to obtain vitamin E is not by
taking it in a supplement form, such as a pill. The best way to get your
intake of this vitamin is through the consumption of natural healthy
unprocessed foods.
Aside from cancer and Alzheimer’s (and cognitive decline) prevention,
additional health benefits associated with vitamin E intake include:
Reduces heart disease risk
May lower risk of asthma and allergies
May help treat menstrual pain
Improves circulation in diabetics
May help hot flashes
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Tocotrienol-Rich Rice Bran Oil A New Natural Cholesterol-Fighter
By Dr. Joseph Mercola www.mercola.com
May 12, 2005
I've been keeping a close eye on the research front for studies on tocopherols
and tocotrienols, the natural compounds that make up vitamin E. The big
question: Which one is more important to your health? Tocotrienols,
according to new findings, appear to get the nod. A supplement of tocotrienol
rich fraction (TRF), a component of vitamin E isolated from rice bran oil,
lowered LDL cholesterol levels in tests on animals by an amazing 62 percent
and overall cholesterol numbers by 42 percent.
Although Tocotrienol Rich Fraction also comes from barley, oats and palm,
the best form comes from rice bran oil, which is contained in the outer
grain hull of rice. Its properties appear to inhibit the activity of HMG-CoA
reductase, an enzyme involved in cholesterol biosynthesis.
Because taking vitamin E seems controversial to some -- if you choose to take
it, look for a natural kind consisting of mixed tocopherols including gammatocopherol -- researchers sought the minimum effective dosage of TRF that
would provide the maximum antioxidants and effectively lower cholesterol.
Based on studies of rats and extrapolating those figures for humans, the
effective dose of TRF for a patient weighing 154 pounds is 560 IUs.
This good news certainly supports other studies that have shown the
antioxidant effects of tocotrienols to be 40 to 60 times more effective than
alpha tocopherol. Tocotrienols have also been shown to reduce the risk of
stroke by reversing atherosclerosis.
The difference between tocotrienols and tocopherols: Although both have a
similar chemical structure, tocotrienols are more unsaturated, meaning they
are more mobile and more reactive, while tocopherols tend to cluster.
Food and Chemical Toxicology, Vol. 43, Issue 5, May 2005: 747-753 EurekAlert
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What are Tocotrienols, and Why do You Need Them?
By Dr. Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege
Vitamin E is comprised of two groups of molecules, tocopherols and
tocotrienols, each with four forms (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and deltatocopherol, and alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-tocotrienol). Research is
beginning to focus on specific tocopherols and tocotrienols, rather than just
"vitamin E." Nonetheless, the vitamin E most often referred to and sold
in most stores is a synthetic form called dl-alpha-tocopherol.
Tocopherols, which are found in corn, soybeans and olive oil, were the
preferred form of vitamin E because they have been widely accepted by the
medical community as useful for reducing the risk of heart disease and other
serious illness.
However, new research is beginning to emerge that says the tocotrienols,
found in palm, rice bran and barley oils, could be the most important part of
vitamin E, and a form of vitamin E called full-spectrum vitamin E, which
contains a mixture of tocopherols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) and
tocotrienols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma), may be needed to protect
against disease and provide maximum benefits.
For instance, one breast cancer study found that while standard alphatocopherol vitamin E supplements did not appear to reduce breast cancer
rates, women who consumed foods rich in other forms of vitamin E reduced
their risk of breast cancer by as much as 90 percent. Other studies have
also found that tocotrienols inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Further, studies have shown the antioxidant effects of tocotrienols to be 40 to
60 times more effective than alpha tocopherol. Tocotrienols have also been
shown to reduce the risk of stroke by reversing atherosclerosis, and to reduce
the level of LDL ("bad") cholesterol.
Tocotrienols and tocopherols are similar in chemical structure, but tocotrienols
are more unsaturated, which means they are more mobile and more reactive,
while tocopherols tend to cluster.
While I have believed in vitamin E for over 30 years and have been taking it
for many of those years, there is clearly some controversy here as to what
type of vitamin E is best, and the more I study health, the more I realize we
don't know.
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So it all boils down to the basics again. Eat a healthy diet with minimal grains
and sugars, as outlined in the No-Grain Diet, and eat foods that are as pure
as possible. Ideally, it would also be beneficial to eat for your Metabolic Type.
Reviewing my nutrition plan is a great way to get started.
If you do decide to take vitamin E, it would be wise to get a full-spectrum
variety to ensure you are getting all eight of the naturally occurring isomers
that vitamin E has to offer. Additionally, since vitamin E is a fat-soluble
vitamin, if you take it on an empty stomach very little will be absorbed into
your bloodstream. It is best to take vitamin E with a fat-containing food such
as fish.
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