Abstract
BackgroundVitamin E supplements containing tocotrienols are now being recommended for optimum health but its effects are scarcely known. The objective was to determine the effects of Tocotrienol Rich Fraction (TRF) supplementation on lipid profile and oxidative status in healthy older individuals at a dose of 160 mg/day for 6 months.MethodsSixty-two subjects were recruited from two age groups: 35-49 years (n = 31) and above 50 years (n = 31), and randomly assigned to receive either TRF or placebo capsules for six months. Blood samples were obtained at 0, 3rd and 6th months.ResultsHDL-cholesterol in the TRF-supplemented group was elevated after 6 months (p < 0.01). Protein carbonyl contents were markedly decreased (p < 0.001), whereas AGE levels were lowered in the > 50 year-old group (p < 0.05). Plasma levels of total vitamin E particularly tocopherols were significantly increased in the TRF-supplemented group after 3 months (p < 0.01). Plasma total tocotrienols were only increased in the > 50 year-old group after receiving 6 months of TRF supplementation. Changes in enzyme activities were only observed in the > 50 year-old group. SOD activity was decreased after 3 (p < 0.05) and 6 (p < 0.05) months of TRF supplementation whereas CAT activity was decreased after 3 (p < 0.01) and 6 (p < 0.05) months in the placebo group. GPx activity was increased at 6 months for both treatment and placebo groups (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe observed improvement of plasma cholesterol, AGE and antioxidant vitamin levels as well as the reduced protein damage may indicate a restoration of redox balance after TRF supplementation, particularly in individuals over 50 years of age.
Highlights
Vitamin E supplements containing tocotrienols are being recommended for optimum health but its effects are scarcely known
We previously reported that Tocotrienol Rich Fraction (TRF) supplementation decreased DNA damage in healthy older adults, mostly in those over 50 years of age, and that the levels of damage were associated with age [27]
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the younger group (35-49 years old) were significantly lower than those in the older group while no significant differences was observed between groups regarding to pulse, body mass index (BMI) or fasting blood sugar (FBS)
Summary
Vitamin E supplements containing tocotrienols are being recommended for optimum health but its effects are scarcely known. Dietary and supplemental sources of vitamin E isoforms have been demonstrated to possess unique properties that can influence critical pathways involved in cancer [1,2], cardiovascular [3,4] and neurodegenerative disease [5,6] development. Recent studies have identified tocotrienol, the lesser known isomer of vitamin E as the more effective compound in providing such protection. Most vitamin E supplements available in the market usually contain only alpha tocopherol. It has yet to be determined whether supplementation with a mixture of vitamin E isomers containing high tocotrienol fractions will affect biochemical parameters and other blood indices and the possible underlying mechanism. We are interested in investigating age-associated biochemical changes with tocotrienol enriched vitamin E supplementation and identifying the specific oxidation pathways involved
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