Chronic intake of pharmacological doses of vitamin E might be useful in the therapy of elderly patients with coronary heart disease.
Thirty elderly (mean +/- SEM: 73.8 +/- 2.1 y) nondiabetic, moderately obese (body mass index = 28.3 +/- 0.6 kg/m2) patients with stable effort angina underwent an oral-glucose-tolerance test and a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp before and after vitamin E supplementation (900 mg/d for 4 mo). The study was of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, and crossover design. Anthropometric indexes were stable throughout the study. Despite similar fasting and 2-h plasma glucose concentrations, vitamin E administration (compared with placebo) lowered fasting (88 +/- 14 and 68 +/- 9 pmol/L, P < 0.02) and 2-h (348 +/- 43 and 263 +/- 28 pmol/L, P < 0.05) plasma insulin concentrations, plasma triglyceride concentrations (1.34 +/- 0.06 and 1.07 +/- 0.03 mmol/L, P < 0.05), and the ratio of plasma LDL to HDL cholesterol (7.64 +/- 0.31 and 5.52 +/- 0.38, P < 0.02). Vitamin E administration was associated with higher nonoxidative glucose metabolism (18.1 +/- 0.5 and 10.6 +/- 0.7 mumol.kg lean body mass-1.min-1, P < 0.03) than was placebo administration during the euglycemic glucose clamp. We conclude that chronic intake of pharmacological doses of vitamin E might be useful in the therapy of elderly insulin-resistant patients with coronary heart disease.
Paolisso
G
G
Department of Geriatric Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, II, University of Naples, Italy.
Gambardella
A
A
Giugliano
D
D
Galzerano
D
D
Amato
L
L
Volpe
C
C
Balbi
V
V
Varricchio
M
M
D'Onofrio
F
F
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005609:Free Radicals; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D005609:Free Radicals; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D011506:Proteins; D014280:Triglycerides; D014810:Vitamin E; D010100:Oxygen