Best Vegetarian Blog

I consider mixed tocopherols an essential part of my health routine to prevent cancer and heart disease, and it is also recommended by many health practitioners as a preventive measure for stroke because vitamin E has a natural blood-thinning effect. Like aspirin, vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol decreases the ability of blood platelets to clump together and form clots. Also like aspirin, research has indicated that vitamin E has an anti-inflammatory effect. Something vitamin E does that aspirin doesn’t is to expand blood vessels, which allows for a greater volume of blood to pass through, which helps prevent both stroke and heart attack. I personally choose to use vitamin E instead of aspirin as a prevention for stroke and heart disease because when I was on a regimen of baby aspirin some years ago, within a few weeks I developed tinnitus. This is an extremely distressing potential side effect of aspirin, which my ear doctor informed me is known to be “ototoxic,” that is, capable of causing damage to the hearing or balance functions of the ear.

While discussing stroke prevention, I need to insert an important warning: There are two types of stroke, those caused by blood clots and those caused by hemorrhage. People who have a family history of hemorrhagic stroke may want to talk to their doctor before taking either aspirin or vitamin E. Blood thinners won’t prevent hemorrhagic stroke and in approximately 1 out of 10,000 cases of using blood thinners, they can actually bring on a hemorrhagic stroke. In addition, if you are having surgery, your doctor will tell you to go off of all blood thinners, including low-dose aspirin and vitamin E, several days before the surgery.

Solgar has an excellent reputation for putting in their supplements what they state on the bottle that they contain, which is why I am willing to use their formulation of mixed tocopherols. (They are not the only reputable company producing this type of supplement, however. I have used Jarrow Formulas, Source Naturals, and Life Extension formulations as well.)

Like many softgels, this one may not be as narrow around the middle as desired for those of us who have trouble swallowing pills. Fortunately, unlike for hard pills, a softgel can be made truly soft by dunking it in water or other liquid and then letting it sit in a bowl or other container for several minutes. After that time it will slide easily down the throat because the walls of the softgel are no longer rigid. If any of the contents of the softgel have leaked out–since this product is not cheap–I take a fingertip and retrieve it in the same manner as licking cake batter. (Note: I don’t recommend soaking the softgel in a cup of water or other liquid because you will need to drink all the liquid down in order to consume the melted, oil-based vitamin, and it won’t taste very good.)

Vitamin E is a category of fat-soluble, chemical compounds which are known for their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants act to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, which scientific research has demonstrated to contribute to the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The body itself forms free radicals in the process of converting the food we eat to energy. We are also exposed to free radicals through environmental toxins, such as cigarette smoke, car exhaust, factory emissions, and ultraviolet radiation from too much sun exposure.

Vitamin E occurs in eight different forms, each with different levels of biological activity. These eight forms are: alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol and alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocotrienol. Scientific research has indicated that alpha-tocopherol is the form that best meets the health requirements of human beings, however, additional research has uncovered the fact that the body utilizes alpha-tocopherol most effectively if it enters the bloodstream along with other tocopherol forms.

As an example of studies performed regarding the issue of using mixed tocopherols, researchers reported in 2002 in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology that “mixed tocopherols have a more potent effect than alpha-tocopherol alone” in preventing “the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” due to “inhibiting lipid peroxidation…., platelet aggregation and arterial thrombosis.” Scientists theorize the body reacts this way because when vitamin E occurs naturally in food it is a mixture of three main tocopherols, gamma-, beta- and alpha-tocopherols.

This product (and other formulations like it from other companies) has been produced in reaction to that research. It contains alpha-, beta-, delta- and gamma-tocopherol (also written as d-Alpha Tocopherol, d-Beta Tocopherol, d-Delta Tocopherol, and d-Gamma Tocopherol). When a vitamin E supplement contains this many forms of vitamin E, it is called “mixed tocopherols.”

In the remainder of this review I have provided information from the label of this product, which consists of precise information on the content of these vitamin E softgels as well as health warnings for the consumer offered by the producer of this supplement.

Description of Product:
D-Alpha Tocopherol
Plus D-Beta Tocopherol, D-Delta Tocopherol and D-Gamma Tocopherol
Gluten, Wheat & Dairy Free
Suitable for Vegetarians

Dosage Instructions: As a dietary supplement for adults, take one (1) vegetarian softgel daily, preferably with a meal, or as directed by a healthcare practitioner.

Serving Size: 1 Softgel.
Amount Per Serving: Vitamin E (as d-Alpha Tocopherol plus d-Beta, d-Delta and d-Gamma Tocopherols) 1000 IU.
Other Ingredients: Modified starch (from corn), vegetable glycerin, carrageenan, safflower oil, disodium phosphate, medium chain triglycerides, soy lecithin.

Free of: Gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast, sugar, artificial flavor, sweetener, preservatives and color.
Warnings: If you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medication or have a medical condition, please consult your healthcare practitioner before taking any dietary supplement. Keep out of reach of children. Store in a cool, dry place. Do not use if outer bottle seal is missing, torn or damaged in any way.

Being a long–time Vitamin E user, Solgar Vitamin E’s are more potent than most other store brand Vitamin E’s. In the past, I had to take 2,000 IU Vitamin E’s but this brand is more potent and only 1 vitamin is needed. These vitamins have more integrity and are an excellent source for anyone’s Vitamin E needs.

This product delivers what it says. What more is there to elaborate upon? Every bottle I’ve gotten has been intact.