Gamma Tocopherol
Angela Marks

This article will provide you with details about what we know and do not know about both gamma - and alpha - tocopherol, as well as help you decipher what you ought to consider taking if you are not already.

Gamma-tocopherol, the form of vitamin E that is the most prevalent in the diet, has actually not been thoroughly studied in humans. Although the recent article in The Wall Street Journal may shed some light on this form of vitamin E, the fact is, there are few published papers on the findings. Thus, from a scientific standpoint, we still do not know enough about it to support recommending it in a supplement form, especially in place of (as The Wall Street Journal article suggests) the proven form of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol. Although biological activity is significantly less in other forms of vitamin E and current guidelines do not include forms of vitamin E other than alpha-tocopherol for meeting dietary requirements, we do know that gamma-tocopherol does appear to have some pharmacological properties.

There is some evidence of the benefits of gamma-tocopherol. It appears to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth according to a study conducted in 1999 by Mark Moyad, director of complementary and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan.1 The conclusion of the study was that gamma- tocopherol was superior to alpha tocopherol in the inhibition of the growth of prostate cancer cells. However, this is one of the few papers that have been published that supports this concept. The thing to bear in mind is that most of the studies focus on gamma-tocopherol and prostate cancer and maybe a couple on the prevention of other disease states such as heart disease or stroke. The case in point is that there is a plethora of scientific studies substantiating the benefits of taking alpha-tocopherol in reducing a variety of risk factors for disease. We will review those later in this article.

Another trial on gamma-tocopherol was conducted in 1989 by Johns Hopkins University that included a total of 10,456 male residents of Washington County, MD, who donated blood for a specimen bank. One hundred and seventeen of the 145 men who developed prostate cancer and 233 matched control subjects had toenail and plasma samples available for assays of selenium, alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol. The association between the micronutrient concentrations and the development of prostate cancer was assessed. The risk of prostate cancer declined, with alpha-tocopherol, but higher doses did not seem to result in any increased benefit. For gamma-tocopherol, men with the highest intakes (top 20 percent) had a fivefold reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer than men with the lowest intakes. Significant protective associations for high levels of selenium and alpha-tocopherol were observed only when gamma-tocopherol concentrations were high. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the use of combined alpha- and gamma- tocopherol supplements should be considered in upcoming prostate cancer prevention trials, given the observed interaction between alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and selenium.2 The importance of this study, although it was not published, did provide us with some concepts for the development of future research studies.

There is also some evidence that gamma tocopherol may help to reduce the oxidation rate of LDL cholesterol.3 LDL cholesterol, or the bad cholesterol, is not harmful until it becomes oxidized by free radicals (oxygen atoms that are missing electrons) by pollution, cigarette smoke, and or excessive exercise. Because they are missing an electron they are unstable. Therefore, these atoms roam around the body looking for something to attach to in order to make them complete. This process can result in damage to the inner lining of the coronary arteries and wreak havoc on the body.

Despite the evidence that has been presented in this article on gamma- tocopherol, there is still a need to do further research. Some researchers have expressed their concern about this form of vitamin E because it has been observed to quickly secrete from the body. The thought is that it may not remain in the body long enough to do much repair.

In contrast, there are many large, well-designed studies that have proven the efficacy of alpha-tocopherol. Although there are far too many studies to even attempt to present, here are several that clearly document its effectiveness.

Cancer
A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1998 that included over 29,000 male smokers discovered that those who took alpha-tocopherol supplements had a 33 percent reduction in the incidence of prostate cancer and a 41 percent decrease in death from this devastating disease. It was also discovered that those who took the supplement also had a significant decrease in the incidence of colorectal and lung cancers.

Two studies published in 1996 showed that alpha-tocopherol significantly lowered a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. One of the studies conducted in the U.S. found that women with the highest consumption of alpha-tocopherol had a 45 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than those that had a low consumption.

Coronary Artery Disease
A number of studies validate the use of alpha-tocopherol in reducing the oxidation rate of LDL cholesterol. Two studies in which the subjects supplemented with alpha tocopherol found that those who took in 400-800 IU had a significant reduction in the rate of oxidation.6,7

Another study showed that alpha-tocopherol inhibits the activity of an enzyme, 5-lipoxygenase, which is key to the initiation of plaque formation in the coronary arteries.

There is abundant scientific literature that indicates that high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are linked to cardiovascular disease. Refer to Dr. Cooper’s message in this newsletter for more details. Research from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center shows that alpha-tocopherol decreases inflammation and significantly lowers CRP.

Alzheimer’s Disease
In a double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial of 341 moderately to severely impaired patients, it was discovered that a high dose of alpha-tocopherol was just as effective in slowing the progression of the disease as that of using a prescription medication.

Diabetes
Daily doses of alpha-tocopherol have been shown in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to reduce oxidative stress and improve insulin action in healthy non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

As you can see, alpha-tocopherol has been thoroughly researched and has many implications for the prevention of disease. It appears that the natural form, d-alpha tocopherol is the most readily absorbed form compared to dl-alpha tocopherol, which is synthetic.

References:
Moyad MA, Brumfield SK, Pients KJ. Vitamin E, alpha - and gamma - tocopherol, and prostate cancer. Semin Urol Oncol 1999;17:85-90.

Helzlsouer KJ, Huang HY, Alberg AJ, Hoffman S, Burke A, Norkus EP, Morris JS, Comstock GW. Association between alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, selenium, and subsequent prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000 Dec 20;92(24):2018-23.

Li D, Saldeen T, Mehts JL. Gamma - tocopherol decreases ox-LDL mediated activiation of nuclear factor-kappaB and apoptosis in human coronary artery endotheliai cells. Biochem Biophy Res Commun:1999: 259:157-161.

Negri, E. La Vecchia, C, Franceschi, S, D’Avanzo, B, Talamini R, Parpinel, M, Ferraroni, M, Filiberti, R, Montella, M, Falcini, F, Conti, E, and Decarli, A. Intake of selected micronutrients and the risk of breast cancer. Int. J. Cancer 1996: 65;140-144.

Freudenheim, JL, Marshall, JR, Vena JE, Laughlin R, Brasure JR, Swanson MK, Nemoto, T, and Graham, S. Premenopausal Breast cancer risk and intake of vegetables, fruits and related nutrients. J. Natl, Cancer Inst: 1996; 88: 340-348.

Jialal, I and Grundy, SM. Effect of dietary supplementation with alpha-tocopherol on the oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein. J. Lipid Res:1992; 33:899-906.

Jialal, I. Fuller, CJ, Huet, BA. The effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on LDL oxidation. Arterioscler, Thromb, Vasc Biol:1995; 15:190-198

Devaraj, S., Jialal, I. Alpha-tocopherol decreases interleukin-1 beta release from activated human moncytes by inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase. Arterioscler, Thromb, Vasc Biol. 1999:4;1125-33.

Devaraj S, Jialal I. Alpha tocopherol supplementation decreases serum C-reactive protein and monocyte interleukin-6 levels in normal volunteers and type 2 diabetic patients. Free Radic Biol Med 2000;29(8):790-2

Sano, M, Ernesto, C, Thomas, R, Klauber, M, Schafer, K, Grundman, M, Woodbury, P, Growdon, J, Cotman, C, Pfeiffer, E, Schneider, L, Thal, L. A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1997;336:1216-22.

Paolisso, G, A’more, A, Giugliano, D, Ceriello, A, Varricchio, M, and D’Onofrio, F. Pharmacological doses of vitamin E improve insulin action in healthy subjects and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

Contact Us

Ordering Info:
(877) 2-HEALTH
(888) 393-2221

 

General Info:
12200 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75230
Phone: 972/560-2702
Fax: 972/560-3260
Send us an e-mail