Diabetic nephropathy, a condition related to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, causes blood vessels within the kidneys to enlarge and filter our waste - it can lead to kidney damage and hypertension. There is currently no cure for this complication, however, some treatments are able to slow the progression of the disease before it leads to end-stage renal failure.
 
In a recent clinical trial, published in the journal Nutrients, a team of researchers evaluated the effect that a full-spectrum blend of palm tocotrienols would have on diabetic retinopathy, and found that this supplement, branded by Excelvite as EVNol Suprabio, was able to significantly improve a number of negative biomarkers related to kidney function in a group of patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy. Specifically, significant improvements were observed in serum creatinine levels. Tocotrienols are one of two major groups in the vitamin E family, and are thought to have greater bioavailability capacity than the other group of vitamin E compounds, called tocopherols due to a molecular side chain which allows them to bind to human tissue more easily.
 
The multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled 59 diabetic nephropathy patients, who were randomized to either receive 200 mg of the tocotrienols supplement twice daily or a matching placebo. Supplementation significantly increased creatinine clearance and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), both of which denote improvements in renal function, as patients with a decrease in either of these markers have higher chances of end-stage renal failure, the authors of the study said.
 
After six months of cessation of EVNol SupraBio, a significant reduction in urine to albumin-creatinine ratio by 19.3 mg/mmol, while the placebo group had an increase in this ratio by 4.6 mg/mmol. People with a higher amount of albumin in their urine are at an increased risk of having chronic kidney disease progress to kidney failure.
 
This is the first clinical trial of its kind to provide evidence that tocotrienol-rich vitamin E supplementation for 12 months was able to significantly improve markers in the progression of diabetic nephropathy, especially in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease, the authors said.
 
“It is important to note that up to date, there is no available treatment for diabetic kidney disease,” Bryan See, business development manager at ExcelVite, said. “Long-term kidney problems could lead to end-stage renal failure where the patients require either hemodialysis or kidney transplantation. While it is critical for diabetic patients to control their blood sugar level, it is also crucial for them to avoid this diabetic complication from worsening.”
 
“In 2018 and 2019, ExcelVite in collaboration with Dr. Khalid Kadir ahs conducted two human clinical studies to investigate the benefit of EVNol SupraBio for diabetic nephropathy. This third study with larger cohort and longer supplementation period has reported the same beneficial effect in diabetic nephropathy. Taken together, the results from these papers (short term 2-3 months supplementation and long term 12 months supplementation of EVNol SupraBio) have conclusively shown an improvement in management of diabetic kidney issues,” See added.