Saving Your Brain, for Real

Many of us are skeptical of the actual versus perceived health benefits of vitamins and minerals. But if you learned that a certain vitamin could help prevent if not reverse brain damage, would you try it?

The natural form of vitamin E is receiving some major accolades right now. That includes the suggestion the vitamin could inhibit brain-damaging events such as stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as help repair any damage from such events.

Here is the difference between the natural versus synthetic versions, and why one appears to work while the other does not. Vitamin E consists of four tocopherols and four tocotrienols, each containing an alpha, beta, gamma and delta strand. Most vitamin E supplements, however, contain only alpha-tocopherol. Research shows that the tocotrienols (in nature) have neuroprotective and anticancer properties that the tocopherols (pills) lack.

Brain surgeons from the Ohio State University Medical Center have studied both versions of the vitamin. What they found is that alpha tocotrienol from palm oil weakened the effects a stroke caused on the nervous system by preventing the death of brain cells after the stroke, and stimulating the formation of new arteries.

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Another study out of OSU proved that ingesting tocotrienols before a stroke actually reduced the the size of the resulting lesion.

More recently, a Malaysian study confirmed that brain lesions, which increase our risk for dementia, Alzheimer’s and stroke, remained unchanged in those who were taking tocotrienols over a two-year period. Those on the placebo, however, saw the white matter lesions grow.

One of the researchers, Yuen Kah Hay, told LifeZette it is more valuable to supplement with tocotrienols before a stroke than after an ischemic event.

“Tocotrienols are natural vitamin E isoforms, and hence can be taken as a neuroprotective supplement for the preventive management of neurodegenerative conditions,” Yuen said.

It is important to point out that tocotrienols do not literally reverse damage caused by a stroke. Yuen instead explained that they reduce the brain tissue damage that occurs during a stroke.

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Sources of Natural Vitamin E” source=”http://www.hsph.harvard.edu”]Sunflower seeds, dry roasted|Almonds|Spinach, cooked|Safflower oil|Beet greens, cooked|Pumpkin, canned|Red peppers, raw|Asparagus, cooked|Swordfish, cooked|Mango, raw|Avocado, raw|Peanut butter[/lz_bulleted_list]

Tocotrienols can also eliminate deterioration of the penumbra, or the area surrounding any damaged brain tissue that has reduced blood supply during a stroke, according to Yuen. If the blood supply isn’t restored within several hours, further brain damage can occur.

“This will make a difference in the functional outcomes and clinical course of the stroke event,” Yuen said. “By protecting the penumbra, patients may also have a better and faster recovery.”

The risk of Alzheimer’s disease in older people could also be reduced by consuming different mixes of natural vitamin E, according to a 2010 study by the Aging Research Center in Sweden.

While study results on tocotrienols are impressive, research is still in its early stages. Researchers say the only way to really benefit from tocotrienols right now is through diet or natural supplements.

“Cooking oil (palm oil and red palm oil) is one of the best ways to incorporate tocotrienols in the diet,” Ju Yen Fu, an affiliate of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, told LifeZette.

Tocotrienols can also be found in rice bran, wheat germ, oats and a variety of oils, including coconut, soybean, safflower, peanut, cocoa and olive.

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While the amount of tocotrienols in cooking oil is enough to maintain health, a person would have to consume one cup of palm oil per day in order to get the advantageous effects that tocotrienols have on the brain as found in the scientific studies. Because of this, Yuen recommends supplementing the diet with naturally derived softgel capsules of mixed tocotrienols of 200 to 400 mg per day if you are a person at risk of a stroke or a neurodegenerative disease.

Tocotrineols were also proven in a 2014 study to reduce spatial learning regression, memory decline and anxiety.

But wait — there’s more! Tocotrienols have also been shown to lower cholesterol, hinder the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells, prolong the lifespan of people with cancer, and help with anti-aging.

This new wave of examination on tocotrienols and their remarkable results is causing more scientists to focus on them instead of on tocopherols as the more effective form of vitamin E.

Skepticism of such a miracle vitamin is understandable. However, when asked what he would tell patients at risk of stroke who are suspicious of the astounding effects of natural vitamin E, Yuen said he would tell them to just look at the hard evidence published in reputable medical journals. That, he said, you can’t deny.