WHAT ARE TOCOTRIENOLS?
Tocotrienols, also known as “biochemicals of the vitamin E family,” are essential micronutrients for the brain and body’s functioning.
The other broad category of vitamin E biochemicals is tocopherols. Both tocotrienols and tocopherols have four subtypes: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Studies suggest that tocotrienols may offer greater health benefits than tocopherols. Tocotrienols can be obtained from sources like annatto beans, rice bran oil, palm wheat germ, coconut, barley, and other foods, while tocopherols are mostly found in vegetable oils such as olive and sunflower oils, as well as whole grains and green vegetables.
Vitamin E can also be consumed through supplementary softgels, capsules, or pills. Although tocotrienols and tocopherols are structurally similar, tocotrienols have a slight structural superiority that contributes to various health benefits.
Health experts recommend tocotrienols for their natural anticancer properties, cholesterol-lowering effects, and enhanced brain function by helping suppress neurodegeneration.
HOW CAN TOCOTRIENOLS BE THE BEST SUPPLEMENT FOR BREAST CANCER?
Breast cancer is a condition where breast cells start multiplying abnormally, leading to lumps, abnormal breast or nipple shapes, or blood discharge from the nipples.
In India, statistics indicate that one in every 28 women is at risk of breast cancer. The number of cases has been rising over the past two decades, highlighting an alarming trend that impacts maternal health—a crucial indicator of a country's development.
Various in vitro studies using annatto-based tocotrienols have shown promising results in supporting patients with breast cancer, demonstrating their high therapeutic potency in alternative cancer treatments. Among them, Delta-Tocotrienols are considered the most naturally potent form of this vitamin.
Choosing the most effective tocotrienol supplements can be challenging. However, Eannatto Tocotrienol, which is annatto-based and contains 100% tocotrienols with 90% Delta Tocotrienols and 10% Gamma Tocotrienols, is an ideal option due to its therapeutically optimal tocotrienol ratio for managing breast cancer.
WHAT PROPERTIES OF TOCOTRIENOLS SUPPORT THEIR ANTI-CANCER BEHAVIOR?
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 tumors
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 in preventing breast cancer occurrence in individuals at 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: ER+ (Estrogen Receptor Positive) and ER- (Estrogen Receptor Negative). It has been proven that tocotrienols are effective in reducing both of these 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 extensive research on annatto-based tocotrienols suggests that a dosage of 400-900 mg/day can help in suppressing breast cancer naturally. It was observed that this dosage led to a cessation of breast cancer cell activity with zero side effects.
However, this vitamin E form, when consumed with other micronutrients like vitamin C, D, B complex, and Selenium, can be even more effective. The word of caution is that tocotrienol up to the dosage of 300 mg can be taken after each meal, but higher doses should be divided for consumption.
Furthermore, vitamin E tocotrienol is water-soluble. So, if it is consumed with food or after meals, it will result in better absorption and outcomes.
WHY TOCOPHEROLS ARE AN ENEMY TO TOCOTRIENOLS VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTS?
In a clinical study involving breast cancer, where a tocotrienol and tocopherol mixture was used, tocopherol interfered with tocotrienol’s optimum functioning. The former led to decreased intestinal absorption, reduced adipose storage, weakened the anti-cancer effect, and diminished the cholesterol-lowering efficiency of tocotrienols. Later, tocopherols were replaced by Gamma Tocotrienols, and the outcomes were highly promising. Apart from interfering with tocotrienol’s functioning, tocopherols also attenuate the anti-cancer properties of DHA (a type of Omega 3 fat), whereas Gamma Tocotrienols enhance DHA’s anti-cancer properties.
Due to their smaller and lighter molecular structure compared to tocopherols, tocotrienol molecules exhibit higher activity in larger target areas. The smaller tail structure and lower molecular weight of tocotrienols enhance their motility and contribute to better cell protective activity.
WHICH TOCOTRIENOL SUPPLEMENTS CAN PROVIDE THE BEST EFFECTS?
Numerous In Vitro and In Vivo studies have confirmed that tocotrienols effectively combat cancerous breast cells. All four tocotrienol isoforms are known to be effective against breast cancer growth.
Studies have shown that the combination of Delta (90%) and Gamma (10%) Tocotrienols in annatto-based tocotrienol supplements delays breast cancer development and reduces cancer cell counts by promoting selective cell apoptosis and senescence. Thus, one should choose 100% tocopherol-free and natural annatto-based tocotrienols for optimal 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
