Vitamin E in Old Rats: Less Cell Damage, No Muscle Regain
Graded Preliminary — an animal experiment with 40 rats over three months; the results are untested in humans, and muscle strength was not measured.
Animal study. Findings may not carry over to people, which is why the grade is capped at Preliminary.
- Design
- Animal study
- Participants
- 40
- Duration
- 3 months
- Funding
- Authors report no conflicts of interest.
In old rats, vitamin E eased cell damage and inflammation in muscle, but muscle mass did not clearly increase.
Aging muscles lose mass and strength. Damage from aggressive oxygen compounds and smoldering inflammation are thought to be among the drivers. In old rats, a form of vitamin E eased exactly this kind of damage inside the muscle. It did not bring back muscle mass, though: the researchers found no clear difference there.
The study used 40 male rats, young ones aged 3 months and old ones aged 21 months. Within each age group, the animals were chosen at random. Half received tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E, by stomach tube every day for three months. The others received refined palm oil. With vitamin E, two protective cell enzymes became more active. In the old rats, breakdown products of damaged fats fell. Inflammation markers were also lower, the genetic material showed less damage, and the muscle tissue looked healthier under the microscope.
These results come from rats and have not been tested in people. Whether the animals also got stronger is unclear, because muscle strength was not measured. All rats were male, and the researchers knew which animal got which treatment.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors report no conflicts of interest.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.