Different types of Vitamin E

Status
Not open for further replies.

ptich

Distinguished member
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Messages
171
Country
US
State
California
City
Mountain View
Based on Wikipedia, the following is known about Vitamin E:

1. Vitamin E is a collective name of 8 different substances
2. "Vitamin E" sold in drugstores is mostly only one of them - Alpha Tocopherol
3. Alpha Tocopherol is thought to be an antioxidant, thought it is not accepted by everybody
4. Another type of Vitamin E - Gamma Tocotrienol - is thought to have a special role in protecting neurons from damage

So it looks like that it may make more sense to take Gamma Tocotrienol form of Vitamin E. Is anybody taking it ? If yes - where do you buy it ?
 
I take mixed tocopherols. Gamma, delta and alpha. Was told they were best. Get them at GNC or any good health store.

AL.
 
Ptich, I found the tocotrienol vs tocopherol argument convincing too. For the past couple of years I've been getting a supplement which is a blend of tocopherols and tocotrienols. The pills are large and much more expensive than the regular vitamin E which is just a mixture of alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocopherols.

No doubt you can find various sources for them. I get them from an on-line source in the US where they cost $45 for 120 horse-choking capsules.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SWU209/ItemDetail

John
 
Yes, mixed tocopheryls are the best, but at the very least, take the d-Alpha as opposed to the dl-alpha. They are better absorbed by the body.
 
Here's a link to an abstract from a French paper discussing the effectiveness of tocotrienols vs tocopherols. It's findings are similar to others in the field which basically suggest that tocopherols are relatively ineffective as a neuroprotectant while tocotrienols are effective.The terminology of vitamin E is confusing for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that tocotrienols were formerly called tocopherols! Here's a bit from the abstract.

"Recently, we have observed that α-tocotrienol is multi-fold more potent than α-tocopherol in protecting HT4 and primary neuronal cells against toxicity induced by glutamate as well as by a number of other toxins. At nanomolar concentration, tocotrienol, but not tocopherol, completely protected neurons by an antioxidant-independent mechanism."

It can be found in it's entirety at:

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16595468
 
Thnaks for your replies. I already ordered mixed tocopherols / tocotrienols from Life Extension:

http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item00559/Gamma-E-Tocopherol-Tocotrienols.html

But I am still not sure - the knowledge seems to be so spotty in this area (as well as in neurology in general, unfortunately), that I am afraid these things may cause harm just as likely as any good... Did you actually try to go on / off for long periods of time, and noticed any difference ? I started vitamins C + standard E 3 times, but the first two times I was getting strong fasciculations within a few hours of taking them, so I kept quitting; the 3d time I saw no negative effect (and no positive either), so now I am taking them. The dosage is pretty small, 500mg C + 200 IU of standard E.
 
Didn't Lou Gehrig's wife believe that vitamin E was important? It seems I read somewhere where she made sure Lou was litteraly doused with the vitamin.

Anyone with any knowledge on this?

Zaphoon
 
All I read is that Lou Gehrig was getting vitamin E injections (or at least he was receiving then new vitamin E in ampuls). But his health clearly started declining much faster after the diagnosed, so E did not seem to help at the very least.
 
My Aunty had Vitamin E injections too a couple of decades ago to no avail.
Dx
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top