About Vitamin E (tocotrienol fraction)
Tocotrienols are the less-common isomers of vitamin E (distinct from the alpha-tocopherol that dominates most supplements), with an unsaturated side chain. Sourced mainly from annatto (≈90% delta-tocotrienol), palm, and rice bran. Despite heavy 'cholesterol support' marketing, a meta-analysis of 15 RCTs found tocotrienol supplementation did NOT significantly lower LDL-C, total cholesterol, or triglycerides — the only significant lipid effect was a modest increase in HDL-C. The strongest positive human result is a 1-year placebo-controlled RCT in NAFLD patients (400 mg/day) showing greater normalization of hepatic echogenic response. Bone evidence is limited to short (12-week) postmenopausal trials showing bone-turnover-marker shifts rather than bone-mineral-density changes. Annatto tocotrienol up to 600 mg/day for 12 weeks did not adversely affect liver or kidney function.
What Vitamin E (tocotrienol fraction) supports
- May raise HDL cholesterol
- Studied for fatty liver (NAFLD)
How much Vitamin E (tocotrienol fraction) to take
The RDA prevents deficiency. The effective range is what clinical trials used to actually move the outcome.
Effective
100–400
mg
Trials use 100-400 mg/day mixed tocotrienols (tocotrienol-rich fraction); the positive NAFLD trial used 400 mg/day. Bone studies used 300-600 mg/day annatto (delta) tocotrienol.
Clinical evidence
Moderate clinical evidence. Meta-analysis of 15 RCTs found no reduction in LDL/total cholesterol/triglycerides (only modest HDL increase); 1-year NAFLD RCT at 400 mg/day is the strongest positive; bone data short-term and preliminary
NIH Fact Sheet