Effect of supplementary antioxidant vitamin intake on carotid arterial wall intima-media thickness in a controlled clinical trial of cholesterol lowering.
BACKGROUND
There is accumulating experimental, epidemiological, and clinical evidence of an association between anti-oxidant vitamin intake and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Using data from the Cholesterol Lowering Atherosclerosis Study (CLAS), we explored the association of self-selected supplementary antioxidant vitamin intake on the rate of progression of early preintrusive atherosclerosis.


RESULTS
CLAS was an arterial imaging trial in which nonsmoking 40- to 59-year-old men with previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomized to colestipol/niacin plus diet or placebo plus diet. The rate of progression of early preintrusive atherosclerosis was determined in 146 subjects using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound quantification of the distal common carotid artery far wall intima-media thickness (IMT). From the nutritional supplement database, 22 subjects had an on-trial average supplementary vitamin E intake of > or = 100 IU per day (high users) and 29 subjects had an average on-trial supplementary vitamin C intake of > or = 250 mg per day (high users). Within the placebo group, less carotid IMT progression was found for high supplementary vitamin E users when compared with low vitamin E users (0.008 versus 0.023 mm/y, P = .03). No effect of vitamin E within the drug group was found. No effect of vitamin C within the drug or placebo group was found.


CONCLUSIONS
Supplementary vitamin E intake appears to be effective in reducing the progression of atherosclerosis in subjects not treated with lipid-lowering drugs while the process is still confined to the arterial wall (early preintrusive atherosclerosis).
Azen
S P
SP
Statistical Consultation and Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033, USA.
Qian
D
D
Mack
W J
WJ
Sevanian
A
A
Selzer
R H
RH
Liu
C R
CR
Liu
C H
CH
Hodis
H N
HN
D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000975:Antioxidants; D014810:Vitamin E; D002784:Cholesterol; D001205:Ascorbic Acid