Can tocotrienols take the place of vitamin E in the diet?
No, tocotrienols themselves cannot replace vitamin E in the diet. While tocotrienols are similar in their chemical structure to vitamin E, they do not appear to function in exactly the same way as vitamin E in the body. Tocotrienols cannot be taken to fulfill the suggested RDI, reference daily intake, for vitamin E. Only alpha-tocopherol or compounds containing alpha-tocopherol can be used to fulfill the requirement for vitamin E (1). Eastman NuTriene™ tocotrienols, naturally derived from rice bran oil, contains a mixture of natural tocotrienols and tocopherols. The d-alpha-tocopherol content of Eastman NuTriene™ tocotrienols is a minimum of 100 IU/gram. 1. The United States Pharmacopeia 23 / The National Formulary 18. 1995; United States Phamacopeial Convention, Inc., Rockville, MD.
