While α-tocopherol, the most abundant form of vitamin E, is known for its antioxidant benefits, in muscle health, the current findings showed that γ-tocotrienol was more effective at suppressing protein degradation, reducing oxidative stress and preserving mitochondrial function.
“These findings demonstrate that γ-tocotrienol offers superior protection against muscle atrophy compared to α-tocopherol, highlighting its therapeutic potential for individuals at risk of muscle wasting,” researchers from Taiwan, Egypt and the United States wrote in Redox Biology.
Muscle loss and sarcopenia can occur as part of the aging process or due to hormonal changes, physical inactivity or poor nutrition. Additionally, inflammation, which occurs in chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, can trigger physiological processes that lead to muscle wasting.
Exercise remains the most effective intervention for preventing and reversing muscle wasting, but vulnerable individuals may be limited in the amount of activity they can perform.
Consequently, researchers and the nutraceutical industry are placing greater emphasis on nutritional interventions to support healthy aging and physical performance.
“This study marks a pivotal moment for tocotrienols,” said Dr. Ariati Aris, scientific affairs specialist at phytonutrient company PhytoGaia, in a press release. “The data clearly positions gamma-tocotrienol as a promising next generation vitamin E for muscle health applications.”
How different forms of vitamin E suppress inflammation
Previous research has shown that different vitamin E isoforms have distinct effects on muscle.
“Unlike tocopherols which primarily act as antioxidants, gamma-tocotrienol works across multi-pathways, combining inflammation control, mitochondrial protection and muscle maintenance,” Dr. Ariati Aris noted.
“While both α-tocopherol and γ-tocotrienol are potent antioxidants, γ-tocotrienol uniquely suppresses COX- and 5-LOX-mediated eicosanoids to reduce inflammation—an effect not observed with α-tocopherol,” the study authors wrote.
γ-tocotrienol also shows superior effects on muscle stem cell function, lowering cholesterol levels and reducing oxidative stress.
The researchers also noted that their findings supported previous evidence that disrupted zinc homeostasis contributes to muscle wasting. They observed that γ-tocotrienol seemed to mitigate the upregulation of harmful metal transporters induced by LPS.
“Gamma-tocotrienol stands out as a preclinically-backed, muscle protective ingredient ideal for healthy aging, sports recovery, medical nutrition and mobility-focused functional foods,” Bryan See, vice president at PhytoGaia, said in the press release, noting that palm fruits have the highest ratio and concentration in nature.
Study details
The researchers compared the effects of γ-tocotrienol and α-tocopherol in mouse myotubes subjected to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced muscle wasting.
LPS activates inflammatory pathways that drive cytokine production, impairing muscle function and contributing to muscle wasting.
The findings revealed that γ-tocotrienol preserved myotube size and suppressed key markers of muscle wasting, including MuRF-1 and Atrogin-1, which drive protein degradation.
“γ-tocotrienol alleviated atrophy by enhancing extracellular matrix organization and attenuating oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction,” the researchers wrote.
They confirmed the protective effects in vivo, with γ-tocotrienol demonstrating preservation of muscle strength, suppressed pro-inflammatory signaling and restored mitochondrial biogenesis in mice.
“These findings provide evidence that γ-tocotrienol is a promising bioactive compound with muscle-protective properties, supporting its potential use as a dietary intervention to prevent inflammation-induced muscle wasting,” the researchers concluded.
They recommended further research to explore deacetylation activity and provide a better understanding of how γ-tocotrienol affects these signaling cascades to protect against muscle wasting.
Source: Redox Biol. 2025 Sep 19:87:103874. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2025.103874. “γ-Tocotrienol attenuates oxidative stress and preserves mitochondrial function in inflammation-induced muscle atrophy”. Authors: J.Y. Chong et al.
