title: Vegetarians have higher plasma alpha-tocopherol relative to cholesterol than do nonvegetarians.
abstract: Biological antioxidants are thought to play a protective role in certain disease processes, including atherosclerosis. To compare the relative antioxidant/atherogenic risk between vegetarians (presumed lower risk) and omnivores (higher risk), the alpha-tocopherol, total cholesterol and fatty acid (FA) profiles were determined in the plasma of 79 vegetarians (28 males, 51 females) and 79 age- and sex-matched nonvegetarians. In the vegetarian group, mean (+/- SEM) plasma alpha-tocopherol was 714 +/- 46 micrograms/dl for males and 725 +/- 24 for females; corresponding cholesterol values were 122 +/- 5 mg/dl and 138 +/- 3, respectively, which were significantly lower than the respective control values (928 +/- 38; 883 +/- 23 and 206 +/- 6; 188 +/- 4). However, when plasma tocopherol was expressed in terms of cholesterol, the tocopherol: cholesterol molar ratio was significantly enhanced for both male (27%) and female (11%) vegetarians. Vegetarians also had a lower atherosclerosis risk based on their plasma FA profile (higher linoleic:oleic acid ratio) which correlated well (r = 0.72; p less than 0.001) with plasma alpha-tocopherol:cholesterol molar ratio. Since the bulk of tocopherol is transported in low-density lipoprotein, this lipoprotein in vegetarians may be better protected against lipid peroxidation, a process believed to be important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Foster Biomedical Research Laboratory, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pronczuk
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kipervarg
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hayes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D014810:Vitamin E; D002784:Cholesterol