Mixed vitamin E forms show liver benefits: Rat data

17-Apr-2013 - Last updated on 18-Apr-2013 at 16:36 GMT

A mixture of vitamin E tocotrienols and alpha-tocopherol may work synergistically to improve liver health in lab animals with non-alcoholic steatohepatits (NASH), the most extreme form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Writing in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, researchers from the Kanagawa Institute of Technology and Eisai Food & Chemical Co. in Japan report results of their investigations into how supplementing the diet of steatohepatitic rats with a mixture of d-mixed-tocotrienols and alpha-tocopherol may benefit liver health.

Eisai Food & Chemical Co provided the vitamin E analogs used in the study.

Results showed that supplementation of combined full spectrum d-mixed tocotrienols and alpha-tocopherol improved biomarkers of liver health, compared with lab animals that received alpha-tocopherol-only or d-mixed tocotrienol-only.

The researchers concluded that tocotrienol and alpha-tocopherol exert a potent synergistic effect in improving NASH.

Supporting liver health

The study’s findings were welcomed by Mr. WH Leong, Vice President of Carotech Inc. “This study shows us that taking both natural full spectrum tocotrienol complex and alpha-tocopherol together help to synergistically improve NASH and support healthy liver,” he said.

“The combination of alpha-tocopherol and d-mixed tocotrienols work synergistically and exert better protection for liver, than the standalone pure alpha-tocopherol and pure mixed-tocotrienol.”

“In addition, human study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2012 showed that tocotrienols (Tocomin SupraBio capsules with d-mixed tocotrienols and alpha-tocopherol) improved liver disease score (MELD Score) in patients with end stage liver disease.

“Another group of researchers in Malaysia also reported that Tocomin SupraBio as significantly effective in addressing fatty liver conditions. Tocomin SupraBio is a bioenhanced absorption formula of naturally occurring mixture of mixed-tocotrienol and alpha-tocopherol.

“This study from Japan further supports the use of d-mixed tocotrienol/tocopherol complex for liver health” added Mr. Leong.

Source: Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition
Volume 52, Number 2, Pages 146-153
“Effects of tocotrienol on tumor necrosis factor-alpha/D-galactosamine-induced steatohepatitis in rats”
Authors: Rieko Yachi, et al.