sponsored content
Pilot Phase II Clinical Trial Shows EVNol SupraBio™ Attenuate Retinal Bleeding In Diabetic Retinopathy
10 May 20218 weeks supplementation of EVNol SupraBio™ resulted insignificant reduction in retinal hemorrhage.
A pilot phase II clinical trial revealed that 8 weeks supplementation of EVNol SupraBio™ (encapsulated in softgels branded Tocovid SupraBio™) resulted in significant reduction in retinal hemorrhage in the right eye of diabetic retinopathy patients.
Diabetic
retinopathy is one of the diabetic complications. It occurs when prolong high
blood sugar level causes damage to the blood vessels in the retina. At the
early stage, diabetic retinopathy may present no symptom or only mild vision
problem. However, this complication could progress and diabetic retinopathy is
now the leading cause of new onset blindness among individuals aged 20 to 64
years old. Hence, it is crucial to find an effective treatment strategy to
manage the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy.
In this
study led by Emeritus Professor Dr. Khalid Kadir, an endocrinologist from the
School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia; forty-three
(43) diabetes type II patients with diabetic retinopathy were randomized into 2
different groups which are (i) Placebo, and (ii) Intervention receiving EVNol
SupraBio™ 200mg twice daily.
The
ophthalmic parameters and analytes of the patients were measured at baseline
and after a short 8-weeks supplementation of either 400 mg/day EVNol SupraBio™
or placebo.
EVNol
SupraBio™, bioenhanced full spectrum palm tocotrienol complex, demonstrated significantly
reduced retinal hemorrhage in the right eye. In addition, it is also
demonstrated in this study that 8 weeks of EVNol SupraBio™ supplementation
caused a significant improvement in liver enzymes aspartate transaminase (AST)
and ALT (alanine aminotransferase). Both AST and ALT enzymes are usually used
to screen for abnormal liver function.
No
significant improvement were observed in serum biomarkers AGE, sRAGE, Nε-CML
and Cystatin C in the diabetic retinopathy patients in this study. This lack of
effect may be attributed to the short supplementation duration. The patients in
this study have a long duration of diabetes (average 18.5 years), causing a
long-term and difficult-to-reverse accumulation of these biomarkers in the
body. Thus, the researcher suggested that a future study with a longer treatment
duration is warranted to allow more time for the tocotrienol to take effect.
Besides, more extensive research is also needed to investigate the pathway of
tocotrienol improving retinal hemorrhage. Nevertheless, the result suggested
that EVNol SupraBio™ could be an adjunct to the current treatment strategy of
diabetic retinopathy.
“Previously,
4 research papers have been published on the efficacy of EVNol SupraBio™ on two
other diabetic complications, which are diabetic nephropathy and diabetic
peripheral neuropathy. To the best of our knowledge, this is a new finding on
tocotrienol and diabetic retinopathy in human. We are excited with this result
as it further underscores the importance of EVNol SupraBio™ as a potential
natural phytonutrient in managing conditions associated with long term diabetes,” says
Diyanah Roslan, Nutritionist at ExcelVite.
Reference
Chiew, Y., Tan, S. M. Q., Ahmad, B., Khor, S. E., &
Kadir, K. A. (2021). Tocotrienol-rich vitamin E from palm oil (Tocovid) and its
effects in diabetes and diabetic retinopathy: a pilot phase II clinical
trial. Asian Journal of Ophthalmology, 17(4), 375-399.