| Balancing cholesterol naturally (Part 3)
Vitamin E is critical for heart health
If I had to choose just one group of nutrients with the greatest impact on heart health it would be the wider vitamin E family. This is where things get a bit technical but bear with me. There 2 groups of vitamin E compounds, the tocopherols and the tocotrienols.
Each comprises of alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocopherols and tocotrienols making 8 in total. We get vitamin E from nuts, seeds, some plant oils and brown rice. Red Palm kernel is by far the richest source of tocotrienols
The vitamin E family is central to cell protection and are particularly effective at helping the repair processes involved with inflamed and blocked arteries, blood vessels damaged by strokes and even damaged nerves. By repairing free radical damage to blood vessels they can help make stiff blood vessels more supple meaning the heart does not have to work as hard to circulate blood. This is very important for people with hypertension and high cholesterol.
Red Palm Kernel: Richest source of Tocotrienols
Tocotrienols
In the past decade there has been significant research into vitamin E tocotrienols. These are powerful antioxidants but have another important function in helping balance cholesterol levels by helping control liver cholesterol production.
Unfortunately our diets are very low in tocotrienols which increases heart disease risk especially in those with a combination of high cholesterol and high levels of background inflammation. You can see the effects of plaques in the following diagram.
Research back into the 1990’s showed that Tocotrienols naturally regulate the enzyme responsible for cholesterol production. As a result, tocotrienols have a significant benefit for those with high cholesterol and those with higher heart disease risk. This is great news for people who cannot tolerate statin cholesterol medications or for those who prefer a natural approach.
My favourite natural cholesterol balancing supplement is Sytrinol® which combines the tocotrienols complex Tocomin® with tangerine flavones to make what I believe to be the only natural product that really addresses the dangers of cholesterol imbalance and general cardiovascular health. Click here for an excellent online resource for tocotrienols.
John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med.) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. If you have questions or need help you can contact John 0800 423559. You can email John at john@abundant.co.nz.
Please note that the health advice given through this column is for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any health problem. © John Arts 2019 |
