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A diffrent kind of EHealthSunday October 1, 2006 Different kinds of E SCIENTISTS have unanimously concluded that free radicals damage cells and contribute to the common diseases associated with ageing. As people age, they produce more free radicals that inflict greater damage to cellular DNA, mitochondria and cell membranes. The result is illness and premature death. Health conscious people today consume antioxidant supplements such as vitamin E to help neutralise these free radicals. When vitamin E was discovered in 1922, scientists mistakenly concluded that out of the four tocopherol family members (alpha-, beta-, delta- and gamma tocopherol), only alpha tocopherol provided some measurable benefit. So for the next 70 to 80 years, vitamin E supplements contained only the alpha tocopherol. Vitamin E has since become synonymous with alpha tocopherol. It is not surprising that earlier clinical trials designed to examine vitamin E’s ability to prevent disease have been carried out using only alpha-tocopherol. When scientists started examining other members of vitamin E family, one in particular – gamma tocopherol – was found to possess several unique properties. Although gamma tocopherol is not as powerful an antioxidant as alpha tocopherol, it was found that gamma tocopherol was the only member of the tocopherol family capable of neutralising reactive nitrogen free radicals such as peroxynitrite and nitrogen dioxide. Generated by inflammation, these nitrogen free radicals are implicated in a host of degenerative diseases including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease1. Research as also discovered that gamma tocopherol reduces inflammation by inhibiting prostaglandin E22. In addition to inhibiting chronic inflammation, gamma tocopherol exerts additional non-antioxidant effects to prevent cancer3. Gamma tocopherol is believed to prevent colon cancer by inhibiting the formation of mutagens produced by oxidised foecal fats while decreasing oxidative damage to the epithelial cells of the colon4. In another study involving 10,456 males5, it was found that gamma tocopherol concentration strongly and inversely associated with subsequent risk of prostate cancer. The blood levels of gamma tocopherol were lower among men with prostate cancer. Cigarette smoke contains very high amounts of damaging nitrogen free radicals which are carcinogenic6. Gamma tocopherol and not alpha tocopherol is able to effectively neutralise the reactive nitrogen free radicals. This explains why smokers have notoriously low levels of gamma tocopherol as their body store of gamma tocopherol is used to neutralise these free radicals. Population studies have found that the gamma tocopherol appears to protect against the development of lung disease in smokers. High levels of gamma tocopherol have been correlated with a lower incidence and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular (coronary heart) disease. In one study involving 34,486 postmenopausal women, increased intake of dietary vitamin E, primarily gamma tocopherol, was associated with a reduced risk of death from coronary heart disease7. This association was not observed in women who took vitamin E supplements with alpha tocopherol. In Malaysia, most of the vitamin E supplements contain only alpha tocopherol. Growing evidence indicate that it may not be good to health to consume alpha tocopherol alone without also consuming gamma tocopherol. The latest studies have found that consuming alpha tocopherol alone decreases gamma tocopherol level in the tissues. This is definitely not helpful (or may even be detrimental to health) if one considers that by taking alpha tocopherol alone, you lose out on the main health benefits provided by gamma tocopherol that were already present in the tissues. The best way is to consume both alpha tocopherol and gamma tocopherol together. The studies also found that taking gamma tocopherol with alpha tocopherol also increases tissue levels of both gamma tocopherol and alpha tocopherol. This finding may explain why vitamin E from food sources have been found to be more effective than alpha tocopherol supplements in reducing death from cardiovascular disease. In nature, vitamin E is found to contain all four members of the tocopherol family: alpha-, beta-, delta- and gamma tocopherol. References: 1. Atherosclerosis. 1999 Jun;144(1):117-22. Front Biosci. 2004 Feb 1;9:763-76 2. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2000 Nov 10;97(21):11494-9 3. FASEB J. 2002;16(14):1952-4 4. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2003 Oct;47(3):249-59 5. Am J Epidemiol. 2003;157; 335-344 6. Free Rad Biol Med. 1996, 21:669-681 7. N Engl J Med. 1996 Jun 2;334(1  :1156-62
# This article is courtesy of Pahang Pharmacy. For more information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. |