Gamma tocotrienol is a powerful antioxidant and a form of vitamin E found in virgin palm oil, barley, oats, and rye. Its chemical structure makes it more effective at entering tissues and more potent than tocopherol. Studies show it can reduce cholesterol, prevent heart attacks, and shrink tumors in prostate, breast, stomach, and colon cancers. Scientists advocate for its use over tocopherol in supplements.
Gamma tocotrienol is one of the eight naturally occurring forms of vitamin E and is only one form of tocotrienol. The others are alpha, beta, and delta. This type of vitamin E is not as well known as tocopherol, but its discovery dates back to the 1960s. Gamma tocotrienol has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant and can lower cholesterol levels. This antioxidant is naturally present in virgin palm oil and grains such as barley, oats, and rye.
Chemically speaking, gamma-tocotrienol has a structure described as an “unsaturated side chain,” meaning that the elements that make up the compound are attached to the core of the molecule, called the “backbone.” This “unsaturated” structure makes the compound more effective at entering tissues, even those with layers of fat that cannot be penetrated by other compounds. Tocotrienols, not just the gamma form but all four forms, are also defined as “double bonds,” which use four electrons for bonding. This makes the compound stronger and more reactive compared to single bonds that only use two bonding electrons.
The chemical structure of gamma tocotrienol actually makes it a more potent and effective antioxidant, compared to the more commercially used types of vitamin E tocopherol in many anti-aging and wellness products and supplements. In fact, a person with alpha-tocopherol deficiency can take the gamma form of tocotrienol to reduce negative symptoms. All types of tocotrienols have the ability to lower the chances of various cancers and brain cell damage, abilities that tocopherol types do not.
Recent studies with laboratory rats have shown that gamma-tocotrienol is the most powerful of all types of tocotrienol when it comes to protecting the heart. Tocotrienol was found to reduce the occurrence of heart attacks, improve the performance of the ventricles, and protect the heart when the blood supply is insufficient. Researchers have also linked gamma tocotrienol and prostate cancer; Experiments have shown that human prostate tumors grafted onto rats undergo 50% shrinkage during two weeks of gamma-tocotrienol intake. Similarly, positive results were seen in breast, stomach, and colon cancers, where gamma-tocotrienol prevented the spread of cancer cells or ultimately killed them. The vitamin has also been shown to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for people with melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.
Such positive evidence for gamma tocotrienol has led scientists to advocate for the use of the vitamin and ultimately to replace the tocopherol types of vitamin E. Pharmaceutical companies have yet to use tocotrienol in their supplements. Some studies have also shown that combining tocotrienol and tocopherol might not be beneficial, as the latter prevents the body from absorbing all the benefits of the former.
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