Home Ingredients EVNol® (Palm Tocotrienol and Tocopherol Complex — ExcelVite)
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EVNol® (Palm Tocotrienol and Tocopherol Complex — ExcelVite)

Evidence Level
Limited
1 Clinical Trial
3 Documented Benefits
2/5 Evidence Score

EVNol® (formerly Tocomin®) is a palm tocotrienol and tocopherol oil extract from ExcelVite. It is not the same material as EVNol SupraBio® (formerly Tocomin SupraBio®), the company's self-emulsifying version, and the two are absorbed differently. The human trials described here used a self-emulsifying palm tocotrienol softgel, not plain EVNol. In a 1-year randomized trial in 87 adults with mildly raised cholesterol and fatty liver on ultrasound, 400 mg a day of mixed tocotrienols normalised the liver's ultrasound appearance in 34.9 versus 18.2 percent on placebo, while liver enzymes and blood lipids did not differ from placebo. A pooled analysis of 15 randomized trials found tocotrienols do not lower LDL, total cholesterol or triglycerides overall.

Studied Dose The fatty liver and brain MRI trials used 200 mg of mixed tocotrienols twice a day (400 mg/day) for 1 to 2 years as a self-emulsifying softgel. A 2-month arterial stiffness trial used 50, 100 or 200 mg a day of a self-emulsifying tocotrienol-rich vitamin E.
Active Compound Full-spectrum palm vitamin E complex of alpha, beta, gamma, and delta tocotrienols plus tocopherol.

Benefits

Liver ultrasound appearance in a 1-year trial

In a 1-year placebo-controlled trial in 87 adults with mildly raised cholesterol and fatty liver, 400 mg a day of mixed palm tocotrienols normalised the liver's ultrasound appearance in 34.9 versus 18.2 percent on placebo. Liver enzymes did not differ from placebo (ALT p = 0.118, AST p = 0.207), and almost a third of the tocotrienol group dropped out. Fatty liver needs a doctor's care.

Supported by Trial 1

Cholesterol: no reduction in pooled trials

A pooled analysis of 15 randomized trials found tocotrienols did not lower total cholesterol, LDL or triglycerides overall. HDL rose 0.146 mmol/L on average, though trials disagreed strongly, and in arms using 200 mg a day or more triglycerides were 0.177 mmol/L lower. In the 400 mg a day fatty liver trial, blood lipids did not differ from placebo after a year.

Supported by Trial 1

Oxidative-damage markers in blood

In a 6-month randomized study in 62 healthy adults, 160 mg a day of a generic palm tocotrienol fraction (not EVNol) lowered protein carbonyls, a blood marker of protein oxidation, and in those over 50, advanced glycation end-products. Over 2 years, brain white-matter lesions grew less on MRI with self-emulsifying tocotrienols than with placebo. These are markers and scans, not health outcomes.

Supported by Trial 1

Mechanism of action

1

Tocotrienol antioxidant action

In laboratory systems the unsaturated tail of a tocotrienol lets it move more freely within cell membranes than a tocopherol, and it quenches free radicals there. Whether that translates into a health outcome in people, as opposed to a change in a blood marker or a scan, has not been shown.

2

Cholesterol pathway in the laboratory, blunted by tocopherol

In cell and animal work, gamma and delta tocotrienol speed the breakdown of HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that makes cholesterol. Alpha-tocopherol blunts this. In chickens, adding alpha-tocopherol to a tocotrienol blend attenuated the effect on HMG-CoA reductase activity (p < 0.001), and blends containing 30 percent or more alpha-tocopherol worked less well than blends with 15 to 20 percent. EVNol is sold as a tocotrienol plus tocopherol complex, and the trial capsule on this page carried 61.1 mg of alpha-tocopherol against 200 mg of tocotrienols. In humans this mechanism has not produced lower LDL or total cholesterol in pooled trials.

Clinical trials

1
Palm Tocotrienols and Fatty Liver: 1-Year RCT with an Ultrasound-Appearance Endpoint, Liver Enzymes Unchanged
PubMed

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 1 year, 87 adults at a single Malaysian centre. This liver report comes from a larger registered study, NCT00753532, which enrolled 241 people and whose registered primary outcome was brain white-matter lesion volume, with liver echogenicity listed as a secondary outcome. The study material was Tocovid Suprabio, a self-emulsifying softgel purchased from Hovid (Ipoh, Malaysia), given as 200 mg mixed tocotrienols twice daily. Two of the nine authors work for Hovid Research Sdn Bhd, four of them own shares in Hovid, and the corresponding author holds the patent on the self-emulsifying delivery system used. The research grant came from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. (Magosso et al. 2013, Nutrition Journal)

87 untreated Malaysian adults with mildly raised cholesterol (total cholesterol 5.2 to 6.2 mmol/L) and ultrasound-proven fatty liver, mean age 51. Around three quarters had mild steatosis, the mildest of the three ultrasound grades, and mean ALT and AST were between 35 and 39 IU/L, close to the top of the normal range.

The liver's ultrasound echogenic response normalised in 34.9 percent on tocotrienols versus 18.2 percent on placebo in the intention to treat analysis (p = 0.039; odds ratio 2.411, 95 percent confidence interval 0.896 to 6.488, which crosses 1; number needed to treat 6). The authors write that tocotrienols did not significantly affect lipid profile and liver function compared with placebo. Mean 1-year falls on tocotrienols versus placebo were ALT 5.9 versus 0.6 IU/L (p = 0.118), AST 4.8 versus 3.4 (p = 0.207), total cholesterol 0.3 versus 0.2 mmol/L (p = 0.055) and triglycerides 0.2 versus 0.2 mmol/L (p = 0.814). 13 of 43 on tocotrienols and 10 of 44 on placebo dropped out and were counted as unchanged. Two people on placebo and none on tocotrienols worsened by a grade. No adverse events were reported in either group.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

In the 1-year fatty liver trial, no adverse events were reported in either the tocotrienol group or the placebo group at 400 mg a day.
Mild digestive upset is occasionally reported. Vitamin E as a family carries a bleeding signal: a meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials in 118,765 people, almost all using alpha-tocopherol, found a 22 percent higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke (relative risk 1.22, 95 percent confidence interval 1.00 to 1.48) alongside a 10 percent lower risk of ischaemic stroke. Whether tocotrienols carry the same risk has not been tested, and this product contains alpha-tocopherol as well as tocotrienols.
Discontinue if any unusual reaction occurs.

Important Drug interactions

Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs: a review of vitamin E drug interactions concluded there is no evidence of harm at nutritionally relevant intakes, but that 300 mg a day or more of vitamin E, counting tocopherols and tocotrienols together, may alter the activity of warfarin and aspirin. The dose studied for this ingredient, 400 mg a day of tocotrienols plus about 120 mg of alpha-tocopherol, is well above that threshold. Talk to your prescriber before starting.
The same review reported possible interactions with tamoxifen and cyclosporine A at 300 mg a day or more, and found no evidence of interaction with most other drugs.
Stop before any planned surgery and tell your surgeon, because of the bleeding signal reported for the vitamin E family.

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Frequently asked questions about EVNol® (Palm Tocotrienol and Tocopherol Complex — ExcelVite)

What is EVNol?

EVNol® (formerly Tocomin®) is a palm tocotrienol and tocopherol oil extract from ExcelVite. It is not the same material as EVNol SupraBio® (formerly Tocomin SupraBio®), the company's self-emulsifying version, and the two are absorbed differently.

What is EVNol used for?

EVNol is researched primarily for Liver Health and Antioxidant. In a 1-year placebo-controlled trial in 87 adults with mildly raised cholesterol and fatty liver, 400 mg a day of mixed palm tocotrienols normalised the liver's ultrasound appearance in 34.9 versus 18.2 percent on placebo.

What is the recommended dosage of EVNol?

The clinically studied dose is The fatty liver and brain MRI trials used 200 mg of mixed tocotrienols twice a day (400 mg/day) for 1 to 2 years as a self-emulsifying softgel. A 2-month arterial stiffness trial used 50, 100 or 200 mg a day of a self-emulsifying tocotrienol-rich vitamin E. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is EVNol safe, and does it have side effects?

Side effects and cautions reported for EVNol include: In the 1-year fatty liver trial, no adverse events were reported in either the tocotrienol group or the placebo group at 400 mg a day. Mild digestive upset is occasionally reported. It may also interact with some medications. EVNol is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does EVNol interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs: a review of vitamin E drug interactions concluded there is no evidence of harm at nutritionally relevant intakes, but that 300 mg a day or more of vitamin E, counting tocopherols and tocotrienols together, may alter the activity of warfarin… If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for EVNol?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for EVNol as Limited (2 out of 5). It is backed by 1 study summary and 9 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(9 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Magosso E, Ansari MA, Gopalan Y, Shuaib IL, Wong JW, Khan NA, Abu Bakar MR, Ng BH, Yuen KH. Tocotrienols for normalisation of hepatic echogenic response in nonalcoholic fatty liver: a randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial. Nutr J. 2013;12(1):166. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-12-166.PubMedUsed to support: In 87 adults with mildly raised cholesterol and ultrasound-proven fatty liver, 400 mg a day of mixed palm tocotrienols for 1 year normalised the liver's ultrasound echogenic response in 34.9 percent versus 18.2 percent on placebo (p = 0.039; odds ratio 2.411, 95 percent confidence interval 0.896 to 6.488). Liver enzymes and blood lipids did not differ from placebo: ALT fell 5.9 versus 0.6 IU/L (p = 0.118), total cholesterol p = 0.055, triglycerides p = 0.814. The study material was Tocovid Suprabio, a self-emulsifying softgel purchased from Hovid, not a plain tocotrienol oil extract, and 13 of 43 in the tocotrienol group withdrew. No adverse events were reported in either group.
  2. Qureshi AA, Pearce BC, Nor RM, Gapor A, Peterson DM, Elson CE. Dietary alpha-tocopherol attenuates the impact of gamma-tocotrienol on hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity in chickens. J Nutr. 1996;126(2):389-94. doi: 10.1093/jn/126.2.389.PubMedUsed to support: In chickens fed tocol blends for 26 days, adding alpha-tocopherol to a blend containing enough gamma-tocotrienol to suppress HMG-CoA reductase attenuated that suppression (p < 0.001). Across palm vitamin E preparations, those with 15 to 20 percent alpha-tocopherol suppressed the enzyme while those with 30 percent or more did not. This is animal evidence, and it bears on tocotrienol products that also contain tocopherol.
  3. Schürks M, Glynn RJ, Rist PM, Tzourio C, Kurth T. Effects of vitamin E on stroke subtypes: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2010;341:c5702. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c5702.PubMedUsed to support: Across 9 randomized placebo-controlled trials totalling 118,765 participants, vitamin E supplementation raised the risk of haemorrhagic stroke by 22 percent (relative risk 1.22, 95 percent confidence interval 1.00 to 1.48) and lowered the risk of ischaemic stroke by 10 percent (relative risk 0.90, 0.82 to 0.99), with no effect on total stroke. In absolute terms that is one extra haemorrhagic stroke per 1,250 people taking vitamin E. The trials used tocopherol rather than tocotrienol preparations.
  4. Chin SF, Ibahim J, Makpol S, Abdul Hamid NA, Abdul Latiff A, Zakaria Z, Mazlan M, Mohd Yusof YA, Abdul Karim A, Wan Ngah WZ. Tocotrienol rich fraction supplementation improved lipid profile and oxidative status in healthy older adults: A randomized controlled study. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2011;8(1):42. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-8-42.PubMedUsed to support: In 62 healthy adults given a palm tocotrienol-rich fraction at 160 mg a day or placebo for 6 months, protein carbonyl content, a blood marker of oxidative damage to proteins, fell markedly in the supplemented group (p < 0.001), and advanced glycation end-products fell in those over 50 (p < 0.05). HDL cholesterol rose after 6 months. These are laboratory markers rather than health outcomes, and the material was a generic palm tocotrienol fraction, not EVNol.
  5. Podszun M, Frank J. Vitamin E-drug interactions: molecular basis and clinical relevance. Nutr Res Rev. 2014;27(2):215-31. doi: 10.1017/S0954422414000146.PubMedUsed to support: This review of vitamin E drug interactions found no evidence that tocopherols or tocotrienols at nutritionally relevant intakes cause adverse interactions, but concluded that intakes of 300 mg a day or more may alter the activity of aspirin, warfarin, tamoxifen and cyclosporine A. For most other drugs, interactions were not observed even at high doses.
  6. Zuo S, Wang G, Han Q, Xiao H, O Santos H, Avelar Rodriguez D, Khani V, Tang J. The effects of tocotrienol supplementation on lipid profile: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med. 2020;52:102450. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102450.PubMedUsed to support: Pooling 15 randomized trials with 20 treatment arms, tocotrienol supplementation did not lower total cholesterol (weighted mean difference 0.010 mmol/L), LDL cholesterol (0.095 mmol/L) or triglycerides (-0.112 mmol/L). HDL cholesterol rose by 0.146 mmol/L, but heterogeneity between trials was very high (I2 = 85.9 percent). In arms dosing 200 mg a day or more there was no heterogeneity and triglycerides fell significantly (weighted mean difference -0.177 mmol/L), and the HDL rise was larger at that dose (0.202 mmol/L). The authors' overall conclusion was still that tocotrienols do not lower LDL, total cholesterol or triglycerides.
  7. Gopalan Y, Shuaib IL, Magosso E, Ansari MA, Abu Bakar MR, Wong JW, Khan NA, Liong WC, Sundram K, Ng BH, Karuthan C, Yuen KH. Clinical investigation of the protective effects of palm vitamin E tocotrienols on brain white matter. Stroke. 2014;45(5):1422-8. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.004449.PubMedUsed to support: In 121 adults aged 35 or over with cardiovascular risk factors and MRI-confirmed brain white-matter lesions, randomized to 200 mg mixed tocotrienols or placebo twice a day for 2 years, mean lesion volume rose on placebo but stayed essentially unchanged on tocotrienols. The between-group difference was not significant at 1 year (p = 0.150) but was at 2 years (p = 0.018 intention to treat, p = 0.019 per protocol), and blood chemistry did not differ between groups. This is an MRI surrogate endpoint from the same registered study (NCT00753532) as the fatty liver trial; the registry lists the product as Tocovid 200 mg softgels.
  8. Rasool AH, Rahman AR, Yuen KH, Wong AR. Arterial compliance and vitamin E blood levels with a self emulsifying preparation of tocotrienol rich vitamin E. Arch Pharm Res. 2008;31(9):1212-7. doi: 10.1007/s12272-001-1291-5.PubMedUsed to support: In 36 healthy men randomized to 50, 100 or 200 mg a day of a self-emulsifying tocotrienol-rich vitamin E preparation or placebo for 2 months, augmentation index fell in all three dose groups while it rose on placebo (p = 0.049, 0.049 and 0.047), and pulse wave velocity fell by 0.77 and 0.65 m/s in the 100 and 200 mg groups. Serum lipids did not change. The authors concluded only that there was a trend towards improvement in arterial compliance.
  9. Rasool AH, Yuen KH, Yusoff K, Wong AR, Rahman AR. Dose dependent elevation of plasma tocotrienol levels and its effect on arterial compliance, plasma total antioxidant status, and lipid profile in healthy humans supplemented with tocotrienol rich vitamin E. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2006;52(6):473-8. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.52.473.PubMedUsed to support: In 36 healthy men aged 21 to 30 randomized to placebo or 80, 160 or 320 mg a day of tocotrienol-rich vitamin E for 2 months, plasma tocotrienols rose with dose, but changes in pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, total antioxidant status, total cholesterol and LDL did not differ significantly between groups. The capsules were supplied by Golden Hope Plantations, and the authors cited self-emulsifying formulations as an improvement then under development, so this was not the self-emulsifying preparation used in the later arterial stiffness trial by the same group.