Delta-tocotrienol decreased biomarkers associated with fatty liver disease, says recent study

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In a new study published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine, delta-tocotrienol from annatto decreased biomarkers associated with fatty liver disease in patients diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The double-blind, active-controlstudy, conducted at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Pakistan, randomly assigned 100 patients with NAFLD to receive either 300 mg twice daily of delta-tocotrienol or 268 mg twice daily of alpha-tocopherol for 48 weeks.

When compared with baseline, at 48 weeks, researchers saw a significant improvement in fatty liver index (FLI), liver-to-spleen attenuation ratio (L/S ratio), and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as well as serum malondialdehyde in both groups. There was a significant greater decrease in body weight, inflammation, and apoptosis in the delta-tocotrienol group compared to the alpha-tocopherol group.

“Thirty percent of the adult population worldwide has NAFLD, a tragedy the medical community refers to as ‘population code blue.’ This is the first time delta-tocotrienol was compared head-to-head with alpha-tocopherol, and the results did not disappoint,” said Barrie Tan, PhD, president of American River Nutrition, in a press release. American River Nutrition manufactures DeltaGold annatto-derived tocotrienol“Not only did delta-tocotrienol supplementation lead to superior sustained weight loss of > 10 pounds in obese NAFLD patients, but it was also significantly better at improving inflammation and preventing liver cell death than the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E commonly recommended by physicians. With the significant advantages of tocotrienol over tocopherol for weight loss and inflammation, the time has come to update the vitamin E guidance for NAFLD patients.”

Reference

1. Pervez MA et al. “Comparison of delta-tocotrienol and alpha-tocopherol effects on hepatic steatosis and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized double-blind active-controlled trial.” Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Published online ahead of print on August 3, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102866