BEST TOCOTRIENOL VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT FOR BREAST CANCER

WHAT ARE TOCOTRIENOLS?

Tocotrienols in other words can be called “biochemicals of vitamin E family”. Vitamin E is a micronutrient that is necessary for our brain and body’s functioning.

The other broad category of vitamin E biochemicals is tocopherols. Both tocotrienol and tocopherol have further four subtypes that are found naturally: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Various studies suggest that we can get better health benefits from the tocotrienol class of vitamin E. We can get this vitamin from annatto beans, rice bran oil, palm wheat germ, coconut, barley, and many other food items. Conversely, tocopherols are present mostly in vegetable oils like olive oil and sunflower oil. This vitamin form is also found in whole grains and green vegetables.

Also, we can get E vitamins from supplementary softgels, capsules, or pills. Although tocotrienol and tocopherol are similar to each other in structure, the slight superiority in the structure of the former vitamin form makes it better than the latter with respect to different health properties.

Health experts recommend tocotrienol for many health benefits. Those prime benefits include natural anticancer activity, cholesterol-lowering capability, and enhanced brain functioning by aiding suppression of neurodegeneration.

HOW CAN TOCOTRIENOLS BE THE BEST SUPPLEMENT FOR BREAST CANCER?

Breast cancer is a pathological condition in which breast cells with cancerous tendency start displaying bizarre multiplication causing lump formation in the breast, abnormal shaping of breast/nipple, or stimulating blood discharge from nipples. 

In India, statistics say that every 28th woman in India is at risk of getting affected with breast cancer. Unfortunately, every year the number is rising from the last two decades and the situation is becoming alarming as maternal health is the key health indicator of a country's development. 

Various in vitro studies done with annatto-based tocotrienols suggest very promising results while supporting patients in combating breast cancer, proving their high therapeutic potency in alternative anti-cancer therapies. Furthermore, the Delta-Tocotrienols have been proven as the most naturally potent form of this vitamin.

However, purchasing the most effective tocotrienol supplements is not an easy job. But out of many available options, one may go for Eannatto Tocotrienol as this product is annatto based and is composed of 100% tocotrienols with 90% concentration of Delta Tocotrienols and 10% Gamma Tocotrienols, which is therapeutically best tocotrienol ratio to naturally manage breast cancer. 

WHAT PROPERTIES OF TOCOTRIENOLS SUPPORT ITS ANTI-CANCER BEHAVIOUR?  

Amazing anti-cancer attributes of tocotrienols are:

• Effective antioxidant action 

Tocotrienols possess huge antioxidant properties and can demolish free radicals which have the potential to provoke breast cancer stimulants at a very large scale.

• Capability to support anti-angiogenesis in tumor 

This vitamin form possesses a distinctive characteristic of depleting prevailing vessels supplying blood to the cancerous lump and inhibiting further genesis of new vessels in the breast region affected with cancer. This in turn leads to inevitable cancerous cell death.

• Promote apoptosis at a large scale in cancer cells

This vitamin E form exhibits an outstanding characteristic of stimulating a program of cell suicide selectively in cancerous cells present in the affected breast by stimulating self-destruction (autophagy) in miscreant cells and increasing stress in their vital cellular processes. 

• Prevent cancer cell proliferation 

The major cause behind cancer spread is the continuous cell divisions(mitosis) of miscreant cells. In this way, cancer cells duplicate their defective DNA in new cells also. This process is called cancer cell proliferation. Several studies have proven that tocotrienols have the potential to suppress certain enzyme activity which is responsible for increasing the oxidative stress caused by damaging free radicals. 

• Promote chemoprevention

Various in vitro and in vivo studies have proven that tocotrienols have huge efficiency of preventing breast cancer occurrence in the individuals at the risk of developing it. This capability of this vitamin is called chemoprevention.

• Promote cell membrane disruption of cancer cells

Plasma/cell membranes of all the cells are made of certain fat molecules (phospholipids). According to some studies, Gamma Tocotrienols, by disrupting these lipid (fat) domains, suppress the cell proliferative activity in breast cancer.

• Promote demolition of various forms of breast cancer

There are two phenotypes (physical forms) of breast cancer cells i.e. ER+ (Estrogen Receptor Positive) and ER-(Estrogen Receptor Negative). It has been proven that tocotrienols are effective in reducing both of the phenotype numbers by inhibiting certain associated enzyme actions.

• Help in inhibiting certain gene expressions

It is said that Gamma Tocotrienols help in masking certain genes, thereby preventing their miscreant actions that can potentially help in the spread of breast cancer.

WHAT TOCOTRIENOL DOSAGE CAN BRING THE BEST RESULTS?

Dr. Barrie Tan’s elaborate research on annatto based tocotrienols suggests that its 400-900 mg/day dosage can help in suppressing breast cancer naturally. It was observed that there was a cessation of breast cancer cell activity with zero side effects with the above-mentioned dosage of it. 

However, this vitamin E form is when consumed with other micronutrients like vitamin C, D, B complex and Selenium can produce more effectiveness. The word of caution is that tocotrienol up to the dosage of 300 mg can be taken after each meal but division for consumption of higher doses should be increased. 

Furthermore, vitamin E tocotrienol is water-soluble. So, if it is consumed with food or after meals, then there will be better absorption and consequent outcomes.

WHY TOCOPHEROLS ARE AN ENEMY TO TOCOTRIENOLS VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTS?

In a clinical study done for breast cancer, where tocotrienol and tocopherol mixture was used in supplementary form for the therapeutic purpose, it was observed that tocopherol started interfering with the tocotrienol’s optimum functioning. The former led to decreased intestinal absorption, reduced adipose storage, weakened the anti-cancer effect, and reduced cholesterol-lowering the efficiency of tocotrienols. Later, the tocopherols were replaced by Gamma Tocotrienols and the outcomes were highly promising. Apart from interfering with tocotrienol’s optimum functioning, Tocopherols also attenuate the anti-cancer properties of DHA (a kind of Omega 3 fat) whereas Gamma Tocotrienols are known to enhance DHA’s anti-cancer properties.

Because of the smaller and lighter structure of tocotrienol molecules than tocopherol ones, former molecules can show higher activity in the larger target area in comparison to tocopherol molecules. Moreover, the smaller tail structure and lower molecular weight of tocotrienols molecules enhance their molecular motility and aid the better cell protective activity of these molecules.

WHICH TOCOTRIENOL SUPPLEMENTS CAN PROVIDE THE BEST EFFECTS?

Various In Vitro and In Vivo studies, i.e. experimental studies done outside and inside the living organisms respectively, have proven that tocotrienols undoubtedly display effective anti- cancer activity against cancerous breast cells. However, all the four tocotrienol isoforms are known to be lethal against breast cancer growth. 

An experimental study revealed that both of the constituents of annatto based tocotrienol supplements i.e. Delta (90%) and Gamma (10%) Tocotrienols are the known agents leading to delay in breast cancer development and mass reduction in miscreant cancer cell count by promoting cancer selective cell apoptosis and senescence. Precisely, one should go for 100% tocopherol free and natural annatto based tocotrienols for best health benefits.

REFERENCES

• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2018.02.017
• https://www.firstpost.com/health/breast-cancer-in-india-is-underdiagnosed-people-dont-know-what-to-look-for-8913911.html
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991144/
• https://www.healthline.com/health/tocotrienols
• https://genesandnutrition.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/s12263-011-0224-z