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Effects of long-term supplementation with moderate pharmacologic doses of vitamin E are saturable and reversible in patients with type 1 diabetes^1,2,3

¹ From the Laboratory of Endocrinology, the University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.

Background: Vitamin E supplementation has been proposed as adjunctive therapy to counteract the increased LDL oxidation in diabetes and thus prevent or delay cardiovascular complications.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a moderate pharmacologic dose of vitamin E for 1 y in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Design: The study was double blind and the subjects were randomly assigned to 2 groups: the supplemented group (group S; n = 22) received 250 IU (168 mg) RRR--tocopherol 3 times/d for 1 y and the placebo group (group P; n = 22) received a placebo for 6 mo followed by 250 IU (168 mg) RRR--tocopherol 3 times/d for an additional 6 mo.

Results: Serum vitamin E doubled after 3 mo of supplementation, from a mean (±SD) of 36.9 ± 10.9 to 66.4 ± 18.3 µmol/L (P < 0.0005). Although lipid profiles, glycated hemoglobin, and blood biochemistry values did not change significantly, copper-induced in vitro peroxidizability of LDL and VLDL decreased after 3 mo of supplementation: the production of thiobarbituric acid–reactive substances decreased by 30–60% (P < 0.005) and the lag time for the appearance of fluorescent products increased from 107 ± 25 to 123 ± 30 min in group S (P = 0.002 compared with group P). Vitamin E supplementation for an additional 3–9 mo resulted in no further changes in serum vitamin E and lipoprotein peroxidizability. Values returned to baseline after supplementation ended.

Conclusions: Because the improvement in lipoprotein peroxidizability is saturable and reversible, life-long supplementation with vitamin E should be considered in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Key Words: Type 1 diabetes • vitamin E • LDL and VLDL peroxidation • thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances • cardiovascular disease risk factors

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				B. Manuel y Keenoy, H. Shen, W. Engelen, J. Vertommen, G. Van Dessel, and A. Lagrou Long-Term Pharmacologic Doses of Vitamin E Only Moderately Affect the Erythrocytes of Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus J. Nutr., June 1, 2001; 131(6): 1723 - 1730. [Abstract] [Full Text]