Tocotrienols protect brain tissue
Brain: tocotrienols protect brain tissue
Tocotrienols, antioxidant compounds belonging to the vitamin E family, have a protective effect on the brain. In patients with cerebral white matter lesions, these molecules slow the progression of damage, keeping its extent stable and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and stroke.
This is reported by a study published in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke, conducted by researchers from the University of Penang in Malaysia. The research aimed to evaluate the protective effect of long-term supplementation with palm oil tocotrienols.
Natural substances with neuroprotective effects
The generic term vitamin E is used to indicate two classes of substances: 4 tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) and 4 tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). Tocotrienols are found in varying amounts in several plant-based foods, such as almonds, peanuts, soy, corn, and oils obtained from palm, coconut, wheat germ, and brown rice. Vitamin E is mainly known for its antioxidant action that protects unsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes and other lipid structures from oxidation. In vitro and animal studies have shown that tocotrienols have a neuroprotective effect, but this has not yet been demonstrated in humans. The Malaysian study investigated the protective activity of mixed tocotrienols in subjects with white matter lesions (WML). WML are linked to the development of neurodegenerative diseases and increased risk of stroke.
Palm tocotrienol supplements protect white matter
The two-year study was conducted on a total of 121 volunteers over 35 years old with cardiovascular risk factors and cerebral white matter lesions. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups; one placebo and the other receiving 200 mg per day of palm-derived tocotrienols. At the start of the study, after one year, and at the end of treatment, brain lesion volumes were measured by magnetic resonance imaging and compared using specific software. The results obtained from the 88 volunteers who completed the study showed that the average extent of WML in the placebo group increased after 2 years, while that of the group taking tocotrienols remained substantially unchanged.
An important trial for tocotrienol research
The evidence from the study, which was the first clinical trial to evaluate the protective effects of this form of vitamin E on the brain’s white matter, demonstrated the ability of tocotrienols to slow the progression of brain lesions. Being natural substances well tolerated by the body, tocotrienols could be used as supplements, even for long periods, to slow tissue damage in the brain, especially white matter, in cases of ischemia. Furthermore, WML could be a useful model to verify the effects of substances with neuroprotective properties.
Source: Yogheswaran Gopalan, Ibrahim Lutfi Shuaib, Enrico Magosso, Mukhtar Alam Ansari, Mohd Rizal Abu Bakar, Jia Woei Wong, Nurzalina Abdul Karim Khan, Wei Chuen Liong, Kalyana Sundram, Bee Hong Ng, Chinna Karuthan, and Kah Hay Yuen. Clinical Investigation of the Protective Effects of Palm Vitamin E Tocotrienols on Brain White Matter. STROKEAHA.113.004449Published online before print April 3, 2014,doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.004449
