Vitamin E Tocotrienols From Food vs Supplements: Which is Better?
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Eating a balanced diet, which includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and dairy provides an abundance of essential nutrients that we require to stay healthy. These foods offer a variety of nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, fats, and fiber that support your muscles, bones, organs and overall health.
But in this hectic and fast-paced world, it’s easy to munch on fast foods and convenient to grab pre-packed meals. Maintaining a balanced diet in such scenarios becomes challenging. The result? Lack of nutrients in the body. Consequently, most people turn to supplements to fill these nutritional gaps. This helps them ensure they receive the essential nutrients they need for optimal health.
Food vs supplements is an ever-growing debate with no clear winner. Neither are we going to discuss all of that. This very blog is focused only on Vitamin E, particularly the tocotrienols Vitamin E. We’ll discuss whether it’s better to take your Vitamin E tocotrienol from food or supplements.
Before we jump into the details, we want you to know that vitamin E tocotrienol (T3) is the better form of Vitamin E. It is also the lesser-known form, though. Do not worry, the blog also covers everything you should know about vitamin E tocotrienols. Read on.
Learn About the Lesser Known Vitamin E-Tocotrienols
Let’s first learn about the lesser-known yet powerful form of the vitamin E. The vitamin E family has 2 forms: tocopherols and tocotrienols, with 4 molecules each (alpha, beta, gamma and delta).
Early research was focused on tocopherols (alpha tocopherols mainly), which is known to be the most bioavailable form of vitamin E. The term tocopherol has been synonymously used for vitamin E. However, that’s not right.
Discovered in the late 1960s, tocotrienols began receiving more scientific attention in the early 1980s and early 1990s. Research has also shown that tocotrienols are the better and the most potent form of vitamin E.
Owing to the molecular structure, tocotrienol molecules are 50 to 60 times faster and more efficient than tocopherols to enter the cell membrane and eliminate free radicals. Read more here.
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Fast Facts About Tocotrienols
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Why Does Your Body Need Tocotrienols Vitamin E?
Tocotrienols vitamin E has been found to provide a myriad of health benefits. Expect benefits ranging from better skin health to overall health support after you’ve started including this form of vitamin E in your diet.
It is the antioxidant properties of tocotrienols that make it an essential nutrient to be included in your diet. Let’s help you delve more into the benefits that you should know about tocotrienols T3 has to offer:
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Antioxidant Support
Tocotrienols are stronger antioxidants than tocopherols. The T3 molecules have the capability to sit closer to the cell membranes to eradicate free radicals. The shorter tail and smaller head of the molecule make it faster and agile improving its protective effects against daily oxidative stress.
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Fight Inflammation
Studies suggest that tocotrienols possess great anti-inflammatory effects. They do this by blocking certain molecules and pathways that trigger inflammation. Cytokines such as IFN-Ɣ, and TNF-𝛼 are like the messengers that tell the body to trigger inflammation. Tocotrienols reduce cytokines activity.
Apart from that, tocotrienols turn down transcription factors like NM -kB that activate inflammatory responses and inhibit enzymes (COX-2) which produce substances that cause swelling and pain.
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Get Stronger Bones
Tocotrienols have shown promising effects in promoting bone health. By acting as antioxidants, they can prevent bone loss by reducing oxidative stress. Their anti-inflammatory effects also help maintain bone integrity.
Besides, tocotrienols reduce the activity of osteoclasts( cells responsible for bone resorption) and enhance osteoblasts activity (cells responsible for bone formation). Studies on animal models have shown that T3 supplementation may improve bone mineral density, increase mineral deposition and enhance bone microarchitecture.
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Age Gracefully
Research suggests that tocotrienol may help combat age-related decline through several mechanisms. Aging is more about the damage to the DNA and tocotrienols may help reduce the damage, supporting the cognitive abilities and immune function. The previous point has already talked about bone health support by tocotrienols, which is an add-on to aging gracefully.
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Support Your Heart
Several studies have indicated that tocotrienols can support heart health by significantly reducing total cholesterol and LDL levels. They are also known to lower inflammatory markers like CRP (C-reactive protein). Studies have also shown that they inhibit HMG-CoA reductase activity which is crucial for cholesterol production.
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Get radiant Skin and Lustrous Hair
Tocotrienols may be a promising ingredient for getting better skin and hair. Their ability to combat oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, collagen production, UV damage protection and hydration improvement makes them a valuable addition to hair care and skin care routines.
Dosage and Natural Sources of Tocotrienols
As you may have noticed that T3 has so many health benefits to offer, isn’t it therefore fair to say that they are definitely a valuable addition to our daily life? So let’s help you know a bit about the dosage and the sources you can lay your hands on to get your daily vitamin E tocotrienols.
Dosage: As per Dr. Barrie Tan, a normal healthy person can take 100-200 mg with a meal each day. Some specific conditions may need a dosage of 300-600 mg daily. However, most studies suggest a dosage range of 200-600 mg for adults daily.
Natural Sources: Tocotrienol vitamin E can be found in various sources, primarily in specific plant-based oils, nuts, and grains. The best sources of tocotrienol include annatto, palm oil, rice bran oil, barley, oats, and wheat germ.
Should You Get Tocotrienols from Food or Supplement?
Before we get to this question whether to get daily required amount of T3 from food or supplements, the important question is,
“Can we get the required amount of Vitamin E Tocotrienols from food alone?”
The reality is that tocotrienols, though essential for us, are not commonly available in foods. A healthy balanced diet also fails to fulfill the daily needs. Palm oil is the most concentrated source of T3, but you’ll need to drink a whole cup of palm oil every day to get your daily T3! Annatto powder or extract can be used as food coloring or spice. But you need to use more. That’s not feasible right? So, what’s the solution? Complementing a balanced diet with tocotrienols supplements becomes necessary.
Having that said, this does not mean we want you to rely solely on supplements. We strongly believe and understand the importance of a balanced diet. However, meeting the daily requirements of tocotrienols, especially if addressing certain health concerns, often demands supplementation.
Final Thoughts: How to Identify the Right Vitamin E Tocotrienol Supplement for You?
When it comes to ensuring that you’re getting the health benefits from tocotrienols, it’s essential to choose the right supplement. Although a balanced diet should always be your first choice to achieve good health, lack of natural tocotrienols sources make it necessary to go for supplements.
Choosing the right supplements is important here. Some important points to consider when selecting the best tocotrienols supplement include:
Go for Natural Source: Look for supplements derived from natural sources, like one derived from annatto. Annatto are known to have the most potent form with 90% delta and 10% gamma tocotrienols and no tocopherols (which interfere with the effectiveness).
Purity is Important: Opt for supplements from reputable brands that offer pure and high quality products. Ensure they follow rigorous testing standards, and use no fillers or artificial additives.
Dosage Matters Too: Choosing the supplement that can provide the right dosage to meet the daily requirement is crucial.
Harness the full potential of Vitamin E tocotrienols by making informed decisions to support your overall health and wellness. Remember, balance and consistency is the key. Supplements are to complement a healthy diet and active lifestyle and not replace them.
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information contained within this page is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals.
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