hile you may know about your brain’s gray matter, did you also know that about 50 percent of your brain is made of white matter? The health of your brain’s white matter affects how well it learns and functions. This is also the area of the brain most often affected by stroke. Now results of a two-year human clinical study published in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke, show that vitamin E tocotrienols derived from Malaysian palm oil supports white matter health by weakening the progression of white matter lesions.
This human study is exciting because it is the first that provides solid evidence of tocotrienols’ neuroprotective benefits in humans. It complements previous research in cell cultures and animal models funded by the National Institutes of Health that has shown that alpha tocotrienols may lessen stroke damage, and may help to accelerate recovery of functional loss.