title: Dietary essential fatty acids, vitamin E, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
abstract: Twenty patients with type I Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease received dietary supplementation with the essential fatty acids (EFA), linoleic and gamma-linolenic acids, and vitamin E. A 3-month blinded trial of placebo (paraffin oil and vitamin E, 81.6 IU/d) was followed by 1 year of 3 grams daily of EFA and vitamin E. Serum fatty acid values doubled, but total esterified fatty acid proportions did not change. Arachidonic acid proportions correlated with the amount of prostaglandin-mediated lymphocyte suppression measured at the same times. Improvement demonstrated at the end of the placebo period by neuropsychological tests and neurologic examination was maintained during the 1 year of EFA supplementation. This effect may reflect a membrane stabilization benefit of vitamin E.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D002607:Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000097:blood*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014810:Vitamin E
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014810:Vitamin E