Lee Swanson Research Update

Vitamin E May Help Boost Immune Function

June 2010

Dietary supplements of vitamin E tocotrienols may enhance immune function and help us maintain our immune health as we age, a new study suggests.

Scientists from Tufts University report that mice fed dietary supplements of alpha-tocotrienols experienced improvements in the function of T cell function. The findings are published in the Journal of Nutrition.

The study investigated the effects of tocotrienols on immune function in old and young mice. The animals were fed 0.1 percent Tocomin® 50%, which is a mixture of tocotrienols and alpha-tocopherols, or a control diet containing only tocopherol, for six weeks.

At the beginning of the study researchers noted that the immune function of the older mice was reduced, compared with the younger mice, as evidenced by the lower levels of the cytokines, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6 and IL-10.

Older mice fed the tocotrienol supplement displayed a greater level of lymphocyte proliferation—a marker of how quickly white blood cells can reproduce in response to infection—than old mice fed the control diet.

Furthermore, mice of both ages fed the tocotrienol supplement had higher levels of the interleukin-1beta, a cytokine released by immune cells (macrophages).

"These results suggest a beneficial effect of tocotrienols in improving the age-related decline in T cell function," the researchers wrote.

Journal of Nutrition Published online ahead of print.

 

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