Taking proper steps to ensure your optimum health is important for everyone, not just for people who are trying to heal from certain issues. An often overlooked supplement is none other than tocotrienols, which is essential for overall health and well-being. Tocotrienols are an essential vitamin E derived from nature and were first isolated in 1965, 40 years after the discovery of tocopherols. Before the discovery of tocotrienols, the vitamin E family was erroneously thought to be comprised of just a single molecule – alpha-tocopherol. Now we know that tocotrienol is the other half of the vitamin E family and is packed with health benefits far beyond the antioxidation and health benefits offered by the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E. In fact, tocotrienols have up to 60 times more antioxidative potency compared to alpha-tocopherol, and have unique anti-inflammatory properties not seen in alpha-tocopherol.

The Natural Vitamin E

Sources of tocotrienols

Tocotrienols are mainly found naturally in palm fruit, red annatto and rice bran among others. More than 900 research studies have shown that tocotrienols provide health benefits for cardiovascular health, metabolic health, neuroprotection, liver health, skin health, bone and joint health. Tocotrienols have unique properties that positively impact different areas of the body:

Bone & Joint Health

Healthy bone tissue is remodelled in a balanced cycle of bone loss and bone formation. When this cycle is out of sync, bone loss and inflammation is typically encountered. When it comes to bone diseases like osteoporosis, oxidative stress and inflammation can lead to bone tissue degradation. Tocotrienol supplementation has been shown in pre-clinical studies to reduce oxidative stress in bone tissue and increase the amounts of antioxidative enzyme activity.

In menopause, the reduced levels of oestrogen lead to the rise of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body. This causes low-grade chronic inflammation that further drives bone tissue degradation. Pre-clinical studies have shown that tocotrienol supplementation is able to prevent the rise in cytokines.

Liver Health

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) occurs when excess fat is stored in the liver and is typically associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic overload causes oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways in the liver. This may lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, with serious cases requiring liver transplants. Tocotrienols have been proven in clinical trials to protect the liver from NAFLD. It has been shown to improve liver health biomarkers such as an 11% reduction of triglycerides, 14% reduction of oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde, 18% reduction of inflammatory high-sensitivity C-Reactive protein and 16% reduction of serum aminotransferases. Tocotrienol supplementation improves liver pathophysiology with a 50% increase in patients reporting lowered model for end-stage liver disease score, a 57% reduction of liver stiffness and 69% increase in patients with improved liver imaging test results.

Heart Health

Clinical and pre-clinical studies have shown that tocotrienols supplementation is able to reduce the risk factors involved in heart disease. It reduces 20% of total cholesterol, 25% low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and 28% triglycerides in humans, and gradually lowers systolic (19% reduction) and diastolic (30% reduction) blood pressure. Tocotrienols supplementation has also been shown to improve glucose and insulin tolerance by an increase of 25% and 50%, respectively. Tocotrienols inhibit cholesterol by modulating HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme involved in cholesterol biosynthesis. Tocotrienols can also reduce triglycerides in the body.

Brain Health

Cognitive decline can happen naturally with ageing or suddenly when an ischemic stroke happens where the oxygen supply is suddenly cut off from the brain. In the case of ageing, white matter lesions (WML) are areas in white brain matter that increases with age. They are linked to an increased risk of stroke and dementia. Clinical studies have shown that tocotrienols supplementation can reduce the advancement of WMLs. In addition, tocotrienols have been shown in clinical trials to lowering the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease as well as mild cognitive impairment. And in cases of strokes, tocotrienols supplementation could stimulate the remodelling of existing blood vessels to immediately expand to supply oxygen to regions of the brain that need it the most when a stroke happens.

Skin Health

Say bye to premature ageing, sunburn and hyper-pigmentation caused by sun exposure with tocotrienols. Unlike common sunscreens, tocotrienols do not block UV radiation, rather, they help soothe the skin by reducing inflammation and by combating oxidative elements. Clinical trials have confirmed that tocotrienols are efficient in reducing skin redness and pigmentation following UV exposure. Tocotrienols help reduce hyper-pigmentation by firstly inhibiting the production of the tyrosinase enzyme, which effectively reduces the amount of melanin produced; and secondly by promoting the breakdown of melanin for brighter and clearer skin. DavosLife E3 Tocotrienols have shown 55% melanin reduction in 9 days compared to other sodium lactate and kojic acid, which only showed a 40% reduction.

A safe active cosmetic ingredient, tocotrienol does not irritate the skin nor eyes and is affirmed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) body.

Exercise Endurance

Three things happen when you exercise:

1. When the muscles contract to create movement, oxidative stress in muscle tissues increases. The body produces antioxidative enzymes like superoxide dismutase to counteract the harmful effects of oxidative stress. Tocotrienols enhance the antioxidant capacity of muscle tissues by 73%.
2. Glycogen reserves decrease during exercise, causing a reduction of energy supply or oxygen to the muscles, leading to muscle fatigue. Tocotrienols supplementation allows 89% more glycogen to be maintained in muscle tissue.
3. There is an increase in lactate levels in muscle tissues as a by-product of anaerobic respiration. The cramps and extreme tiredness you feel when you jog or do strength training? Well, that’s an indication of high lactate levels which increases the muscle tissue acidity and hampers its capacity for more work. Tocotrienols are able to significantly reduce the amount of lactate produced by 49% after exercise.

Enjoy the Goodness of Tocotrienols

You can enjoy the benefits of tocotrienols by supplementing with one DavosLife E3 Complete softgel a day. Rich in antioxidants, DavosLife E3 Complete softgel may help to slow down the effects of ageing and supports general wellness.

DavosLife E3 Complete softgel is a product of Davos Life Science, a division of KLK OLEO.

For more information on tocotrienols and to find out about DavosLife E3 Complete softgel, visit their website here.

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