OCTOBER, 2019 | The HEALTH Plus
07
p07
Palm oil may help
to curb stroke
Tocotrienol in palm oil found to may stop death of brain cells
D
ID you also know that about 50
percent of your brain is made
of white matter? The health
of your brain’s white matter
aff ects how well it learns and
functions. This is also the area
of the brain most often aff ected by stroke. Prof
Dr Yuen Kah Hay of Universiti Sains Malaysia
(USM) explains how a natural form of Vitamin
E found largely in palm oil, called tocotrienol,
has proven to be able to stop brain cells from
dying when one suff ers a stroke.
“In the year 2000, there was a publication
that was the fi rst to show that alpha
tocotrienol was able to protect the cultured
brain cells from dying when challenged with
glutamine (a chemical that is released during
an ischemic stroke). This publication was the
fi rst to show in very low concentrations of
alpha tocotrienol, brain cells would not die
unlike when using alpha tocopherol,” explains
Professor Yuen.
Thereafter, Dr Yuen and his group
experimented with genetically modifi ed
mice, which are stroke-prone, which showed
that tocotrienol can minimise cell damage.
The promising results encouraged Dr Yuen
to launch the fi rst ever study in Malaysia on
humans, testing whether tocotrienol really
have neuroprotective abilities.
Started research on implied benefi ts
"We needed to tackle the issue of securing
stroke patients – after a thorough discussion,
we found the answer. There is a condition
called White Matter Lesion (WML) which
occurs in the elderly. It was found that
hypertensive patients, diabetic patients
and those having high cholesterol are at risk
having WML. When there is not enough
blood fl ow to the brain, the nerve fi bres die
off . MRI scans show them as white spots. The
issue with WML is that they tend to grow
bigger over the years and this aff ects the brain
function – our cognitive functions. We felt that
this would be a good model to study.”
“The hypothesis we aimed for the study
“The hypo-
thesis we
aimed for
the study
is to see if
tocotrienol
is neuroprotective,
and whether it would
reduce the dying
nerve fi bres in the
brain. The ones not
taking tocotrienol,
the white matter
lesions will progress.”
IMPACTFUL
STUDY: Dr Yuen
explains his research on
the eff ects of tocotrienols
found in palm oil to
have a positive eff ect on
patients with pre-stroke
conditions.
Role of
tocotrienol
in tackling
Alzheimer’s
and Dementia
DEMENTIA is a term for a collection of
symptoms of cognitive decline includ-
ing disruptions in language, memory,
attention, recognition, problem solving,
and decision-making that interferes
with daily activities and Professor Dr
Yuen Kah Hay believes that there may
be a solution to it.
“I’m currently planning a study that I
believe has a huge potential, dementia.
Worldwide, dementia is a huge issue
because of our aging population.
No one can escape from this aging
phenomenon which is caused by the
degeneration of brain tissues. There
is a lot of evidence that White Matter
Lesions (WML) are associated with
neurodegenerative issues, dementia
and the decrease in cognitive function.
WML are also associated with Alzheim-
er’s. As we have confi rmed, tocotrienol
has neuroprotective properties.”
According to Professor Yuen, an
institute in Sweden has published
a paper looking at the relationship
between blood levels of tocopherol
and tocotrienol with the mental health
of elderly patients. “The conclusion of
the study is that if you have high levels
of tocopherol and tocotrienol in your
blood, you have a lower risk of getting
dementia and Alzheimer’s and that
applies vice versa. We are currently
in the midst in designing a protocol to
conduct this study.”
– Prof Dr Yuen Kah Hay
is to see if tocotrienol is neuroprotective,
and whether it would reduce the dying
nerve fi bres in the brain. The ones not taking
tocotrienol, the white matter lesions will
progress.”
Positive outcome
The common signs of
stroke may include
numbness at the side of
the face, slurred speech,
confusion, sudden
blindness, unable
to walk, and severe
headache.
In this randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial, leading tocotrienol
researchers at USM followed 121 volunteers
for two years. Each volunteer underwent
MRIs to confi rm the presence of WMLs. One
group received 200mg of Tocovid Suprabio
(mixed tocotrienols) twice daily for two
years, while the others received placebos.
All volunteers were instructed to maintain
their regular diets and physical activity levels.
MRIs were performed at entry into the study
(baseline), and then repeated after one year
and again after two years.
There was no statistical diff erence after the
fi rst year; however, results after year two were
exciting. At two years of supplementation,
the mean WML volume of the placebo group
increased whereas those who received
tocotrienol remained unchanged.
“We were very pleased with the results. The
clinical study was published in the American
Heart Association journal, Stroke. This study
is exciting because it is the fi rst that provides
solid evidence of neuroprotective benefi ts of
tocotrienol in humans,” concluded Professor
Yuen. — The Health Plus