It consists of four tocopherols (alpha, beta, delta, gamma) and four tocotrienols.
What I find extremely alarming is most researchers that study vitamin E only use “one” of the eight parts of the vitamin E.
The one part they do use is the most inferior part of the vitamin E component and it is called alpha-tocopherol. To make matters worse, they often use a synthetic form which is not effectively used by the body.
This is the reason you will periodically read or hear in the news that vitamin E does not help cancer or heart disease or longevity or some other problem.
The reason again, is most of these studies you hear on the news “only” use the synthetic
alpha-tocopherol.
Everytime I hear or read about a negative story on vitamin E, the first thing I do is go right to the medical paper and see what vitamin E they used. You guessed right. It is almost always the alpha-tocopherol.
If you want to know if you are taking an inferior supplement simply check the label for vitamin E and if you read it is alpha-tocopherol you know you have been duped by all the fancy advertising.
In fact, you will see many of these inferior vitamins simply say vitamin E and not even state what type of vitamin E. You can bet it is the cheapest and least effective vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol. In addition if the dose is around 30IU, then it is extremely worthless and can do more harm than good.
Many of these makers are not that dumb. They are hoping people can be easily influenced by all the mass media and hope they are not up on the important eight part vitamin E component.
Most of the vitamins in the grocery store, for example, are usually this type.
Now the good news!
I want you to be up on the “real” facts of vitamin E.
The media may be able to fool the majority of people, but I don’t want you to be fooled into taking something that is hyped up to be good for you when it is not!.
Hoping you never get this news the makers of these inferior supplements don’t include the most powerful part of the vitamin E and that is the tocotrienols.
They not only help lower cholesterol, and make the immune system stronger to fight off infections but protect the brain.
High doses have been found to inhibit all sorts of cancers when researchers induced them. It turns out that gamma and delta tocotrienols accumulate highly in tumors as well as liver and lungs.
Now here is something to commit to memory, you cannot fool a cancer cell. They “don’t” take up synthetic forms of vitamin E.
In fact, alpha-tocopherol (the cheap vitamin E) lowers the levels of healthful tocotrienols.
Besides being taken up into cancer cells to stop their growth and make them commit suicide, tocotrienols also turn on the p53 gene that leads to suicide of cancer cells. You must have enough tocotrienols (and other nutrients) to get an edge on the cancer.
References:
Hiura Y, et al, Specific accumulation of gamma- and d-tocotrienols in tumor and their antitumor effect in vivo, J Nutr Biochem, 20:607-13, 2009
Wada S. et al, Tumor suppressor the effects of tocotrienols in vivo and in vitro. Cancer Lett 229:181-91. 2005
Agarwal MK, et al, Tocotrienol-rich fraction of the palm oil activates p53, modulates BaxIBcl-2 ratio and induces apoptosis independent of cell cycle association. Cell Cycle 3:205-11, 2004
Conte C. et al, g-Tocotrienols metabolism and anti-proliferative effect in prostate cancer cells, Ann NYAcad Sci 1031:391-4, 2004
Abe C, et al, Cytochrome P450-dependent metabolism of vitamin E isoforms is a critical determinant of their tissue concentration in rats, Lipids 42:637-45, 2007
Ikeda S, et al, Dietary alpha-tocopherol decreases alpha-tocotrienols but not gamma-tocotrienols concentration in rats. J Nair, 133:428-34, 2003
Before starting any self treatment Dr. Grisanti recommends that you consider consulting with a doctor trained in functional medicine. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com to find doctors thoroughly trained in functional medicine