Health Benefits Associated With Vitamin E

Negative publicity - is there good news for Vitamin E?
According to the Nutrition Business Journal, in 2005 vitamin E sales tumbled by 32 percent after a meta-analyses linking tocopherol, an active chemical compound of Vitamin E, to all-cause mortality was made public. Because of negative publicity, sales of Vitamin E declined over the years leaving supplement manufacturers wondering whether sales of Vitamin E will ever pick up. The answer to this question is yes! Scientists are talking about the next generation Vitamin E called tocotrienols which holds significant potential for boosting the positive profile of Vitamin E.
Tocotrienols
High levels of tocotrienols are found in palm oils, cereal grains and rice bran. Both tocopherols and tocotrienols are chemical compounds that belong to the Vitamin E family. Both are antioxidants and both are fat-soluble. Research shows that tocotrienols may possibly be the more efficacious chemical compounds of Vitamin E. Although less researched than tocopherols, studies done so far on tocotrienols hold promising benefits for positively impacting health without the negative effects that have been associated with tocopherol.
A distinguishing factor between tocopherol and tocotrienol is in the tail. Tocopherols have longer tails which limit their ability to move around in a cell's membrane, whereas tocotrienols have shorter tails which allows them mobility and greater access to protecting a larger area of cellular membrane.
Supplementation with palm-derived tocotrienols is associated with a reduction in cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular benefits associated with tocotrienol include arterial compliance, improved blood pressure, and increased antioxidant activity that may improve ventricular function. Palm-derived gamma and alpha tocotrienol are associated with reduction in triglyceride levels by 28 percent, according to a study conducted by the Davos Life Sciences and Malaysia Palm Oil Board.
A study published in Journal of Nutrition (July 2010) for the first time showed that a supplement mixture of all four toctrienols taken daily may improve T-cell functions thus improving immune response.
Alpha-tocotrienol is believed to have neuro-protective effects, according to scientists at the Ohio State University.9 Tocotrienol has been linked to increasing hair growth in people who have male pattern baldness. In this function, it may be used in combination with other nutritive ingredients to support healthy hair.