Tocotrienols are forms of vitamin E present in high concentrations in red palm and rice bran oils. They are sold by the health food and herbal industry as a cholesterol lowering agent. Unfortunately, only a small handful of short-term human studies exist and have had mixed results, mostly unfavorable. It appears unlikely that tocotrienols will prove of benefit for the treatment of any human disease.

Review: Vitamin E is present in plants in 8 different forms with more or less equal antioxidant potential (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-tocopherol/tocotrienols), In higher organisms only alpha-tocopherol is preferentially retained. Tocotrienols are found in high concentrations in palm oil and rice bran. They are antioxidants and resistant to lipid peroxidation. Tocotrienols influenced cholesterol synthesis by directly regulated activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductae (HMG CoA reductase) and decrease cholesterol. Important novel antiproliferative and neuroprotective effects have found. Progression of tocotrienols. Sun W, Yan Y, Dong F. Harbin Medical University. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2004 Mar;33(2):243-5

Tocotrienols No Benefit on Lipids: In a DB PC study of 67 adults given 1 of 3 commercially available tocotrienol supplements or a safflower oil placebo for 28 days, there were no significant differences in mean lipid or glucose concentration. Supplementation with 200 mg tocotrienols/d had no beneficial effect on key cardiovascular disease risk factors in highly compliant adults with elevated blood lipid concentrations. Supplementation with 3 compositionally different tocotrienol supplements does not improve cardiovascular disease risk factors in men and women with hypercholesterolemia. Mustad VA, Smith CA, Ruey PP, Edens NK, DeMichele SJ. Abbott Laboratories. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Dec;76(6):1237-43

Authors Claim Too Much Tocotrienols Blocks Benefit: According to the authors, tocotrienols are effective in lowering serum total and LDL-cholesterol levels by inhibiting the hepatic enzymic activity of HMG-CoA reductase through the post-transcriptional mechanism. Alpha-tocopherol, however, has an opposite effect. Since tocotrienols are also converted to tocopherols, authors claim it is necessary not to exceed a certain dose. Ninety hypercholesterolemic adults started placed on the AHA Step-1 diet. After 35 days, they were given 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/day of TRF25 for 35 more days. 100 mg/day of TRF25 produced maximum decreases of 20, 25, 14 (P<0.05) and 12%, respectively, in serum total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglycerides compared with the baseline.. Dose-dependent suppression of serum cholesterol by tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF25) of rice bran in hypercholesterolemic humans. Qureshi AA, Sami SA, Salser WA, Khan FA. Advanced Medical Research. Atherosclerosis. 2002 Mar;161(1):199-207

Tocotrienols Said to Add Benefit to Statin in Lowering Cholesterol: Tocotrienols and lovastatin suppress HMG-CoA reductase through post-transcriptional and competitive inhibition respectively. 28 hypercholesterolemic adults in five 35 day phases of 35 days each started on the AHA diet and then took rice bran tocotrienol with or without lovastatin. On TRF(25) or lovastatin plus AHA Step-1 diet total cholesterol decreased 14% or 13% and LDL-cholesterol 18% or 15% P < 0.001). The combination of TRF(25) and lovastatin plus AHA Step-1 diet reduced of these lipid parameters of 20% and 25% (P < 0.001). Synergistic effect of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF(25)) of rice bran and lovastatin on lipid parameters in hypercholesterolemic humans. Qureshi AA, Sami SA, Salser WA, Khan FA. Advanced Medical Research. J Nutr Biochem. 2001 Jun;12(6):318-329

Tocotrienols Fail to Lower Cholesterol: In a DB PC study of 51 hypercholesterolemic adults, placebo, alpha-, gamma-, or delta- tocotrienyl acetate supplements (250 mg/d) were compared. All followed a low-fat diet for 4 weeks, then took supplements for 8 weeks with the diet. Plasma alpha- and gamma-tocopherols were unchanged by supplementation. Alpha-T3 increased in vitro LDL oxidative resistance (+22%, p <.001) and decreased its rate of oxidation (p <. 01). Neither serum or LDL cholesterol nor apolipoprotein B were significantly decreased by tocotrienyl acetate supplements. Studies of LDL oxidation following alpha-, gamma-, or delta-tocotrienyl acetate supplementation of hypercholesterolemic humans. O'Byrne D, Grundy S, Packer L, Devaraj S, Baldenius K, Hoppe PP, Kraemer K, Jialal I, Traber MG. University of Texas Southwestern. Free Radic Biol Med. 2000 Nov 1;29(9):834-45

Although scientific evidence is relatively limited, rice bran oil (RBO) is tenaciously believed to be a healthy vegetable oil in Asia. It exerts hypocholesterolemic activity in relation to more commonly used vegetable oils and is characterized by a relatively high content of non-fatty acid components, some of which are known to have beneficial health effects. Health benefits of rice bran oil. Sugano M, Koba K, Tsuji E. University of Kumamoto, Japan. Anticancer Res. 1999 Sep-Oct;19(5A):3651-7