Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Disease Drugs Tocotrienols
Vitamin E is not just one vitamin, but rather a family of eight slightly different molecular structures that function differently in the body. There are two principal categories of vitamin E: tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these has four subcategories: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Tocotrienols reduce triglycerides and inflammation of arterial walls, promote dilation and flexibility of arteries, improve blood flow, change LDL cholesterol to a form that does not promote plaque formation, and lower blood pressure. They also help to reduce plaque in the arteries, particularly delta tocotrienols. A four-year study from Elmhurst Medical Center in Queens, New York, involved 50 participants who had plaque in their carotid arteries (the main arteries that carry blood to the brain).
This dangerous condition can lead to a stroke if plaque breaks off and lodges in the brain arteries. Among the participants who took 240 mg a day of tocotrienols along with 60 mg of alpha-tocopherol, 88 percent experienced stabilization or actual reduction of plaque. Among participants taking a placebo, 60 percent experienced a worsening of their condition and only 8 percent stabilized or improved.
Tocotrienols also combat cholesterol.According to a review published in the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association, supplementation with gamma and delta tocotrienols at 75 mg to 100 mg per day for two months reduced total cholesterol levels by 13 to 22 percent and cut LDL