title: Increased risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus at low plasma vitamin E concentrations: a four year follow up study in men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether low vitamin E status is a risk factor for incident non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population based follow up study with diabetes assessed at baseline and at four years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eastern Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Random sample of 944 men aged 42-60 who had no diabetes at the baseline examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oral glucose tolerance test at four year follow up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A man was defined diabetic if he had either (a) a fasting blood glucose concentration > or = 6.7 mmol/l, or (b) a blood glucose concentration > or = 10.0 mmol/l two hours after a glucose load, or (c) a clinical diagnosis of diabetes with either dietary, oral, or insulin treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  45 men developed diabetes during the follow up period. In a multivariate logistic regression model including the strongest predictors of diabetes, a low lipid standardised plasma vitamin E (below median) concentration was associated with a 3.9-fold (95% confidence interval 1.8-fold to 8.6-fold) risk of incident diabetes. A decrement of 1 mumol/l of uncategorised unstandardised vitamin E concentration was associated with an increment of 22% in the risk of diabetes when allowing for the strongest other risk factors as well as serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a strong independent association between low vitamin E status before follow up and an excess risk of diabetes at four years. This supports the theory that free radical stress has a role in the causation of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Public Health, University of Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Salonen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nyyssönen
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Tuomainen
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Mäenpää
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korpela
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Helmrich
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salonen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E