Aside from their potential ability to fight cancer, tocotrienols also have brain-protecting effects.
One older laboratory studyTrusted Source found that a tocotrienol-rich supplement helps protect brain cells from the effects of glutamate, which may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s diseaseand Parkinson’s disease. However, consuming foods that contain tocotrienol, such as macadamia nuts, may not have the same effect as taking a tocotrienol supplement.
Another study on rats shows that oleic acid, one of the main monounsaturated fats present in macadamia nuts, can protect the brain from certain kinds of oxidative stress.