Animal Study Shows Delta-Tocotrienol Least Cardioprotective, Company Says

Tocotrienol isomers gamma-tocotrienol and alpha-tocotrienol may benefit those with high cholesterol-but delta-tocotrienol doesn’t, says ingredients supplier Carotech (Edison, NJ), according to a new study.

The rabbit study was published in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry and performed by researchers from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Rabbits were fed a cholesterol diet for 60 days. On the last 30 days, they were given either alpha-, gamma-, or delta-tocotrienols.

At the end of the study, blood cholesterol levels were significantly lower in the gamma- and alpha-tocotrienol groups (50% and 39%, respectively), while the company says that the delta-tocotrienol group showed no significant reductions.

Moreover, gamma- and alpha-tocotrienols were shown to improve cardiac function and to reduce myocardial infarct size in hypercholesterolemic hearts, while the delta form did not, the company says. (Gamma-tocotrienol showed the strongest effects here.)

“Each isomer in the tocotrienol family plays different roles in our health,” stated WH Leong, Carotech’s vice president, in a press release. “In terms of cardioprotection, this study once again proves that gamma- and alpha-tocotrienol play an important part in lowering blood cholesterol and protecting the heart from injuries following a heart attack. Contrary to the misinformation that one can find on the Internet, delta-tocotrienol is the least effective. This study is consistent with the researchers’ earlier findings published in [American Journal of Physiology in 2008].”

The company says the findings support its own ingredients, Tocomin and Tocomin SupraBio, which are described as full-spectrum tocotrienol complexes containing the highest levels of gamma and alpha-tocotrienols.