Metabolic Syndrome & Diabetes

Definitions for Metabolic Syndrome

An estimated 16% of US residents, 47 million, have metabolic syndrome²⁶. Some of the defining hallmarks of metabolic syndrome include increased waist circumference, increased serum triglyceride levels, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure (hypertension), elevated serum glucose, and insulin resistance^27,28.

Animal Studies

Studies on rats in which diabetes was induced showed a significant decrease of cardiometabolic events. Increase of serum advanced glycosylation end-products (AGE) was prevented, while a decrease in blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin was observed²⁹. In addition, rice bran oil containing tocotrienols lowered plasma triglyceride levels, LDL cholesterol, and hepatic triglyceride concentration, therefore suppressing hyperlipidemic and hyperinsulinemic responses in diabetic rats³⁰.

Human Studies

In several clinical studies with metabolic syndrome and diabetes patients, tocotrienol was shown to reduce the symptoms associated with the disease. Rice bran water solubles (270ppm of >90% tocotrienols) reduced hyperglycemia, glycosylated hemoglobin, and increased insulin levels, while rice bran fiber (30ppm of >90% tocotrienols) reduced hyperlipidemia in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics³¹. In another large clinical study, vitamin E intake from diet was associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes³². In patients with type 2 diabetes, progression of atherosclerosis is more rapid, and 80% of patients die of atherosclerotic events. In addition, LDL-lowering therapies normally prescribed for patients with diabetes have many side-effects, creating a need for alternative treatment. Tocotrienols, which have no known side-effects, were shown to decrease serum total lipids by 23%, total cholesterol by 30%, and LDL-cholesterol by 42% (from 179mg/dL to 104mg/dL) within 60 days in type 2 diabetics³³. In two open studies60 fasting blood lipids were measured before and after 2 months of annatto tocotrienol (75mg/day) supplementation. In both groups, total cholesterol levels dropped 13%, whereas LDL cholesterol dropped 9-15% and HDL cholesterol increased by 4-7%. The LDL/HDL ratio was reduced by 12-21%. An additional benefit of delta-tocotrienol was found to promote metabolic health, where triglyceride levels dropped 20-30%.