Tocotrienol replaces tocopherol as the new face of vitamin E

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it dissolves in fats and oil. It is absorbed by fat globules that travel through the small intestines and is distributed through the body in the bloodstream. Unlike water-soluble vitamins that do not stay in the body for long and cannot be stored, fat-soluble vitamins are not readily excreted, they can accumulate to toxic levels if taken in excess.

Alpha-tocopherol is the first vitamin E analog to be recognized, but eight chemically distinct analogs are now known: four (alpha-, beta-, delta- and gamma) tocopherols (TP) and four (alpha-, beta-, delta- and gamma) tocotrienols (T3).

Vitamin E deficiency can cause nerve and muscle damage that results in numbness and tingling or loss of feeling in the arms and legs, loss of body movement control or coordination and walking difficulties, muscle weakness, a weakened immune system and vision problems.

Tocotrienol better than tocopherol

When vitamin E was discovered in 1922, it was scientifically named alpha-tocopherol. Tocotrienols were only discovered in the mid-1960s and did not attract attention until the 1980s and 1990s when their powerful neuroprotective, anti-cancer and cholesterol-lowering properties were described in studies.

Dr. Barrie Tan, founder and chief scientist of American River Nutrition, is hailed as the world’s foremost expert on vitamin E. He was credited with discovering tocotrienol in three major natural sources: palm, rice and annatto. To date, annatto is the only known source of the most potent forms of vitamin E that is tocopherol-free.

Tan’s r