American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 5, 597-600, Copyright © 1957 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Tocopherol Excess in Man

CREATINURIA ASSOCIATED WITH PROLONGED INGESTION

¹ From the Department of Environmental Medicine and Community Health, State University of New York College of Medicine at New York City, Brooklyn

Ingestion of 296 g of alpha tocopherol by a normal adult male over a period of 93 days resulted in a sustained average plasma tocopherol concentration of 2.26 ± 0.86 mg per 100 ml. This was statistically significant and approximately twice the control level of 1.15 ± 0.37 mg per 100 ml. A significant transitory creatinuria occurred during the test period, but there was no apparent change in the excretion of creatinine or of 17-ketosteroids.

There were no unequivocal signs of clinical toxicity. Exercise tolerance seemed unaffected. The electrocardiogram, ballistocardiogram, serum cholesterol, liver function and blood coagulation studies, and a muscle biopsy showed no deviation from the normal.

Creatinuria may be an early manifestation of an adverse metabolic effect induced by vitamin E excess.

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