A-Z vitamin E Articles

Cold sores are a common viral condition that can be uncomfortable and frustrating. They often appear at the most inconvenient times and tend to recur, especially during periods of stress, fatigue, or weakened immunity. While topical treatments can help manage symptoms or outbreaks, cold sore supplements are another alternative to help prevent an outbreak from occurring by supporting your immune system; therefore, reducing the frequency of outbreaks. 

Let's explore what causes cold sores and how targeted nutrients may help prevent them. 

What Are Cold Sores?

Cold sores are the result of an infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). This highly contagious virus is usually contracted in childhood through skin contact.

The virus then lies dormant in the body and only produces sores when triggered.

What Triggers A Cold Sore Outbreak?

Triggers for cold sores are individual, but some of the more common triggers are exposure to cold, wind or sun, food allergies, a decreased immune system due to other infections or stress and hormonal fluctuations.

Initially, a cold sore will present a tingling or burning sensation around the lips. This is the cold sore forming. The next stage is the formation of a red bump that itches and turns into a blister filled with fluid. Next, the blister will break and form a crust, which indicates that the infection is no longer contagious. These breakouts usually last for approximately 10 days and will occasionally develop multiple sores. Along with these sores will be a mild fever and fatigue.

Cold Sore Outbreak Prevention Tips

Cold Sore Supplements & Nutrients 

Supporting your immune system and maintaining the right nutrient balance can play a key role in reducing the frequency and severity of cold sore outbreaks. This is where management through diet and supplements comes in.

1. Dietary help for preventing and treating cold sores involves decreasing the amino acid arginine in the diet. Arginine is used by the virus for replication. Avoid arginine-rich foods such as nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, peas, lentils, oats, corn, buckwheat, barley, chocolate and coconut.
2. Increase the lysine content of your diet, because lysine inhibits herpes virus replication. Lysine-rich foods include fish, especially halibut, shrimp, poultry, milk, lima beans, mung bean sprouts and yeast.
3. Use immune-boosting foods like flaxseed oil, raw fruits and vegetables, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ and seafood. And supplements like vitamin C, zinc, vitamin B complex, probiotics, and lemon balm.
4. Avoid foods that decrease the immune system like white flour and sugar products, and trans-fat products like margarine and shortening.

Lifestyle Tips

Physical treatments for boosting the immune system include: alternating hot and cold water at the end of your shower (always ending with cold), regular exercise, relaxation exercises and dry skin brushing. Topical treatment of cold sores can be done with colloidal silver, licorice extract, vitamin E oil, and creams containing vitamin C and zinc. All of these treatments help to kill the virus and heal the skin.

Did you know that vitamin E is much more than simply vitamin E? Vitamin E is actually made up of eight different molecules, including four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Research is showing that the different components of vitamin E have different effects in the body.

Interestingly, since the discovery of vitamin E in 1922, only 1% of research into vitamin E has been done on the tocotrienol forms. This is because until recently, science has focused solely on the more biologically prevalent form of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol.

It was initially believed that because alpha-tocopherol was more prevalent, it had greater effect in the body. However, since 2009 there has been a dramatic increase in research being done on tocotrienols. This research is revealing that they are stronger acting than the tocopherol forms of vitamin E.

What Are Tocotrienols?

Tocotrienols are members of the vitamin E family. They have a slightly different molecular structure than the better known tocopherol forms of vitamin E. They are fat soluble and are found naturally in very low levels in vegetable oils. Palm oil is a good source of tocotrienols; however, annatto is one of the only known food sources that contains only tocotrienols and not tocopherols. Hence supplementation is one of the only ways to get therapeutic levels of tocotrienols.

What Are Tocotrienols Used For?

Current research is showing that tocotrienols are potent antioxidants and they are proving to be more powerful acting than the tocopherol forms of vitamin E.

They have numerous effects on the body that tocopherols do not have, including:

• Neuro-protection
• Anti-inflammatory properties
• Cardio-protective actions
• Cholesterol lowering effects

This makes these potent antioxidants useful in protecting against:

• Alzheimer's
• Parkinson’s
• Huntington’s disease
• Protecting against mutated cells
• The damaging effects of diabetes
• Atherosclerosis
• Cardiovascular disease

Some sources have shown that they can penetrate fatty tissues more efficiently, which, combined with their powerful antioxidant effects, makes tocotrienols an excellent option for anti-aging. In particular, it can combat the oxidative stress of skin exposed to the damaging effects of UV rays from the sun.

Early studies have demonstrated that the antioxidant effects of tocotrienols are protective against oxidative damage to osteoblasts (cells that strengthen bones and promote bone growth), making it potentially protective against osteoporosis.

Clearly, tocotrienols have a powerhouse of potential in the treatment of a number of diseases!

How Do Tocotrienols Work?

They work by reducing oxidative damage. Oxidative damage occurs when reactive oxygen species, such as free radicals, damage cells, proteins, lipids and DNA throughout the body. Like any other antioxidant, they work to detoxify and stop the damage caused by reactive oxygen species.

It is the powerful antioxidant action of tocotrienols, combined with its fat soluble nature that allows them to have protective effects against cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Tocotrienols exert properties that attack unhealthy cells through cell cycle arrest and initiation of apoptosis (programmed cell death for damaged cells). What this means is, tocotrienols supports the body’s natural mechanisms for destroying cells that either are mutated or potentially could become mutated. They also reduce angiogenesis, which is the creation of new blood supply to cancerous cells.

The cholesterol lowering effects of this group of antioxidants can be attributed to its effects on enzymes that produce cholesterol in the body. They work by reducing lipids, lowering cholesterol production and increases HDL, which is the “good fat”. All of these actions make them effective in treating cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis.

How Do You Use Them?

You can take tocotrienols by supplementing with vitamin E. However, you have to take a good look at your vitamin E supplement to know if it contains tocotrienols because many of them only contain the alpha-tocopherol form, or mixed tocopherols. To get the full benefit of tocotrienols, you must use a supplement that includes all of the forms of vitamin E.

They are best absorbed in oil based preparations due to its fat soluble nature; therefore, softgels are best. It is also best absorbed when taken with a meal, in particular a meal that includes fat.

You can also use red palm oil, which is a plant based oil that naturally contains tocotrienols; however, heat will destroy vitamin E, so it is best used in smoothies, on salads or as a spread.