Today’s post features a few key takeaways from a recent Wellness Your Way podcast interview.  Find the full episode here, and be sure to subscribe to Wellness Your Way so you don’t miss future episodes!

Guest Bio: Dr. Barrie Tan

Dr. Barrie Tan is hailed as a trailblazer and the world’s foremost expert on vitamin E. A scientist first and foremost, Dr. Tan earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry/Biochemistry from the University of Otago, New Zealand and spent several years as a professor at UMass. His research expertise includes lipid-soluble nutrients (carotenoids, E vitamers, CoQ10, and omega-3s) that impact chronic conditions. He was the first to introduce tocotrienols benefits to the nutrition industry and developed the first-ever tocopherol-free tocotrienol product derived from annatto. Dr. Tan continues to collaborate with numerous universities worldwide to further tocotrienol research. Beyond tocotrienol, Dr. Tan’s research now spans into geranylgeraniol, a critical endogenous nutrient for healthy aging.

Dr. Tan has held roles of Chief Scientific Officer and Scientific Board Member for multinational organizations. His career includes periods working in association with the US Armed Forces and a Prince of Thailand as well as being an internationally celebrated and sought-after speaker, having presented at multiple respected conferences in the field including; IFT, ADA, ASN, IHS, A4M, NPA, AACR, ICIM, AOCS, IAOMT, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Renowned for his engaging warmth and gracious humor, Dr. Tan has also been featured in array of popular media including the Ben Greenfield and JJ Virgin podcasts.

Dr. Tan is currently the President of American River Nutrition, a natural health R&D company he started with his wife, Elizabeth, in 1998. Described as a scientific pioneer, his mission is simple, improve the everyday health of people’s lives.

Top Insights from Dr. Tan’s Interview

1. We want “gated community cells.” We have trillions of cells in our bodies, and the cell wells are made of fatty acids, which are designed to only let select items into the cell, and keep others out.  However, the fatty acids that make up cell walls are vulnerable to a process called oxidation, which makes them not work properly.
2. Vitamin E helps our cell walls work properly. Antioxidants reduce this oxidation and captures free radicals, but many of the antioxidants we talk about regularly don’t work on the fatty acids in the cell walls. Vitamin E is the best fit for protecting our cell walls!
3. Tocotrienols and tocopherols are forms of Vitamin E, but tocotrienols are more efficient and effective. Tocotrienols are a better form to supplement if you’re looking to reduce oxidation, inflammation, chronic disease, and aging.
4. Vitamin E can help regulate cholesterol and other chronic conditions. Tocotrienols can reduce cholesterol and triglycerides by 10-15%, and help non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, and obesity.
5. Vitamin E can cut off multiplication signaling in cancer cells. Tocotrienol is an anti-angiogenic agent, which means that it can cut off blood vessels of existing tumors, and also slow or stop multiplication of cancer cells before they turn into free-standing tumors.
6. (Almost) everyone would benefit from taking tocotrienols. I’ve included the product Dr. Tan recommends in my Fullscript dispensary containing all of my recommended supplements, which you can access at this link.  The dosages Dr. Tan recommends are:
       a. Healthy person who is actively taking care of their health: 100-200mg. Someone who exercises a lot would need the higher end of this range,   due to higher oxygen utilization.
   b. Someone who is in later stages of life or has a chronic condition in their family history: 200-400mg.
   c. Those dealing with existing chronic conditions: 400-600mg.
7. You may or may not notice the benefits of taking Vitamin E in terms of cellular oxidation, but there are great side effects! People tend to notice more supple skin as a pleasant side effect.  It can also reduce inflammation from wounds as well as systemic inflammation.

Want to hear the full episode, including a new molecule called GG that helps our body create CoQ10 and skeletal muscle and reduce sarcopenia, the benefits of the annatto plant, and so much more?

Head over here to catch the full episode with Dr. Barrie Tan!

Now it’s your turn!  What is one thing you learned from this interview?  What’s one thing you’re committed to changing after learning from Dr. Barrie Tan?