This little-known vitamin may lower your stroke risk – The STAR

Numerous studies show that a little-known type of vitamin E called tocotrienols can protect the brain against stroke damage and reduce the risk of recurrent stroke. According to tocotrienol researcher Prof Chandan K. Sen, brain damage during a stroke can be prevented by triggering the surrounding blood vessels to dilate and redirect the blood flow around a blockage. The blood vessel “redirect” is the result of 10 weeks worth of supplementation with palm tocotrienols in a canine-stroke model study.

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Blackmores Institute questions validity of high-profile Cochrane Review of vitamin E and mortality

A widely publicised review ‘incorrectly inflated’ the mortality risk attributed to vitamin E, with the appropriateness of the datasets and the validity of its methods being called into question in a new paper backed by the Blackmores Institute.

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Vitamin E deficiency may lead to increased colorectal cancer risk: Chinese meta-analysis

Vitamin E deficiency might be linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a Chinese systematic review and meta-analysis. The review concluded that while serum vitamin E deficiency might be associated with a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer, ”necessary prospective cohort studies should be conducted to assess the effect of vitamin E” on the risk of colorectal cancer.

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Study: Vitamin E supplementation may decrease muscle injury

Can oral ingestion of vitamin E help reduce muscle fiber damage? Yes, according to a group of researchers in Brazil… in mice at least.

”The use of antioxidant as a therapeutic agent has recently gained renewed interest”, wrote the researchers from the State University of Campinas of Sao Paolo, Brazil. ”Several studies have demonstrated positive outcomes regarding some diseases such as cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, allergic disease, neuromuscular disease,  and muscular dystrophies.”

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Lack of antioxidants increases obesity risk in sleep-deprived men: Korean study

Low dietary antioxidant intake — coupled with insufficient sleep — could lead to an increased risk of obesity in men, a Korean study has found. The study noted that ”a combined effect of the consumption of dietary antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin A, retinol, carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E, on sleep duration was observed with respect to the odds of being obese.”

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What the Brain Craves – Omega-3s, Vitamin E and Vitamin D

Many nutrients really are “food for thought.” The brain is the most active part of the body and has an enormous appetite, requiring about 20 percent of our total energy intake to function. But energy is not the sole source of “food” for the brain: vitamins, fatty acids and minerals are also important for optimizing cognitive health. The high energy demands and the considerable blood flow to the brain mean that nutrients involved in energy metabolism and producing healthy blood cells will help us maintain normal cognition, such as the B-vitamins and iron. Other micronutrients play an unappreciated role in brain health: omega-3s, vitamin E and vitamin D. How do they contribute to nutrition for the brain?

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There’s still lack of understanding of tocotrienols in healthcare community, says expert Dr. Barrie Tan

The 40-year gap between the discoveries of tocopherols and tocotrienols means the former gets a lot more attention, according to American River Nutrition founder Dr. Barrie Tan.

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Palm oil vitamin E exports set to surge with discovery of major health benefits – New Straits Times

SEPANG: Malaysia’s annual RM70 million palm oil vitamin E exports to the global pharmaceutical industry are set to expand, as medical studies show that it lowers bad cholesterol levels, kills cancer cells and protects our brain against the debilitating effects of a stroke.

“As more medical studies (discover) the benefits of palm oil vitamin E, the future is bright for mankind,” said Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.

“Malaysia’s Health Ministry has just released its sampling study on the country’s 30 million population consuming palm oil in their daily diet. The results affirmed that consuming palm oil doesn’t have any adverse effect on our heart’s health,” he said.

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Tocopherol source may affect breast milk vitamin E profile, says study

The vitamin E alpha-tocopherol is imperative to a baby’s nervous system development, and they primarily get this from breast milk or formula. In a clinical trial, researchers from Abbott Nutrition found that there might be a difference in how synthetic versus natural alpha-tocopherols reach an infant.

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Vitamin E-deficient embryos are cognitively impaired even after diet improves

Zebrafish deficient in vitamin E produce offspring beset by behavioral impairment and metabolic problems, new research at Oregon State University shows.

The findings are important because the neurological development of zebrafish is similar to that of humans, and nutrition surveys indicate roughly 95 percent of women in the U.S. have inadequate intakes of this critical micronutrient.

The problem may be exacerbated in women of child-bearing age who avoid high-fat foods and may not have a  rich in oils, nuts and seeds, which are among the foods with the highest levels of vitamin E, an antioxidant necessary for normal embryonic development in vertebrates.

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