Tocotrienols may be effective in improving blood lipids in patients with mild hypercholesterolemia, preliminary study shows
Highlights
- Mixed tocotrienols (as EVNol Suprabio™) significantly improves total and LDL cholesterol
- Dosage is 50 mg, once daily for 4 weeks
- No significant changes in HDL cholesterol
Summary
This randomized, open-label study was designed to examine the effect of mixed tocotrienols on blood lipids in patients at risk of heart disease.
For this study, researchers followed 44 patients (25 men, 19 women) with mild hypercholesterolemia and one additional cardiovascular risk factor. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups for 4 weeks. One group (n=28) was given EVNol SupraBio™ (formerly Tocomin SupraBio™)* mixed tocotrienols (50 mg, once daily). The other group (n=16) was given alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) (500 mg, once daily, or 1,000 mg, alternate days). Fasting lipids were compared at baseline and after 4 weeks therapy.
After 4 weeks, the tocotrienols group had a significant (P<.05) reduction in total blood cholesterol level of 25 mg/dl (from 236 to 211 mg/dl, on average) and a significant (P<.05) reduction in LDL cholesterol level of 23 mg/dl (147 to 124 mg/dl). No significant changes occurred in the alpha-tocopherol group. There were no significant changes in HDL cholesterol or triglycerides in either group.
These preliminary findings suggest that tocotrienols may have clinical value in patients with mild hypercholesterolemia.
*The study treatment (TOCOVID SupraBio™ softgels) is identical to EVNol SupraBio™ softgels. EVNol SupraBio is a trademark of ExcelVite Inc and protected by US Patent No – 6,596,306 and 7,211,274.
