With vitamin E, keeping the family together is important.

In previous AllStarHealth blogs, we’ve made the point that  Vitamin E isn’t really one vitamin, it’s a group of 8 distinct vitamins, all of which have distinct functions and most of which are present when you obtain vitamin E from whole foods. The best vitamin E supplements now reflect this and contain a full range of vitamin E forms, for a full range of vitamin activity and protection. But for decades, most vitamin E supplements have contained just one form, d-alpha-tocopherol, based on the fact that this form is the most abundant in the blood and most body tissues. More recent research has shown that the other forms of vitamin E  have their own distinct benefits that don’t apply to a-alpha-tocopherol, including protection from breast cancer according to a recent study.

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Vitamin E's benefits are a matter of balance, which most vitamin E supplements don't provide.

Vitamin E is a supplement category that really hasn’t caught up to the latest research, as we discussed in this blog post from January. As we explained then, vitamin E isn’t one compound but a family of eight compounds, 4 tocopherols and 4 tocopherols, each with specific and unique roles to play.  However, most vitamin E supplements only contain one form, alpha tocopherol.  The best vitamin E’s are those few that contain all eight compounds, but these remain a stubbornly small portion of the vitamin E supplement market. Customers and brands alike may not like the higher prices of full-spectrum vitamin E’s, but there’s growing evidence of their superiority. A soon-to-be published study highlights adds more evidence for a special, protective role of gamma and the other tocopherols, all of which are definitely lacking in most vitamin E supplements and multis. (more…)

Statin drugs lower cholesterol, but also lower your body's production of valuable Co Q-10. And that's not the only reason you should be taking Co Q-10 for elevated LDL cholsterol.

Dear AllStarHealth,

Why is it recommended that people who have high-cholesterol take Co Q-10? Co Q-10 doesn’t lower cholesterol.  Or does it?

Thank you,

Heather B.

Boulder, CO

Dear Heather,

It’s true that Co Q-10 isn’t a dependable way to lower cholesterol, but if you have high LDL cholesterol levels, it’s probably still a good idea for you to take it anyway. Here’s why. (more…)