Metabolics - Vitamins Improved Metabolic Factors

Delta tocotrienols lowered A1C and inflammation

There are many forms of vitamin E, with increasing clinical evidence of their health benefits. In this study, 110 people with type 2 diabetes took a placebo or 250 mg of delta-tocotrienol vitamin E per day, while continuing on oral hypoglycemic medications, diabetic diets, and regular exercise.

After 24 weeks, long-term average blood sugar—A1C—decreased to 7.8 from 8.3 percent while remaining elevated for placebo. Fasting blood sugar levels, insulin levels, and signs of insulin resistance also fell for the delta-tocotrienol group.

Doctors measured several chronic inflammation factors: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha all decreased significantly. Signs of oxidative stress also fell by 9 percent for vitamin E while not changing for placebo.

The delta-tocotrienol group also saw lipids improve, with triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL—the “bad” cholesterol—levels declining significantly, with little change in these factors for placebo.

Reference: Phytotherapy Research; 2021, ptr.7113, Published Online

Nicotinamide and prediabetes

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is part of the B-vitamin family, and stimulates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) in the body. NAD exists in all living cells and is central to healthy metabolism. In this study, 25 postmenopausal women, aged 55 to 75, with prediabetes and who were overweight or obese, took a placebo or 250 mg of nicotinamide mononucleotide per day.

After 10 weeks, those taking NMN saw a significant increase in circulating NAD levels. The NMN group also became more sensitive to insulin, increasing the glucose disposal rate—metabolism—by 25 percent, an improvement doctors said was similar to what they would expect to see after a 10 percent weight loss.

Reference: Science; 2021, 372(6547), 1224-9