title: Nutritional antioxidants, red cell membrane fluidity and blood viscosity in type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus.
abstract: The study was designed to evaluate whether the antioxidant nutrients selenium, vitamin A, and vitamin E are associated with alterations of blood viscosity in patients with insulin-dependent (Type 1) diabetes mellitus (IDDM). We assessed selenium concentrations in plasma and red blood cells (RBC), glutathione peroxidase activity in RBC, vitamin A and vitamin E, and the viscosity of whole blood and plasma in 20 patients with IDDM and 20 sex, age and body mass index-matched healthy controls. While selenium was not altered in plasma in IDDM, it was markedly decreased in RBC of IDDM (1.24 +/- 0.32 vs 0.92 +/- 0.38 mumol l-1, p = 0.006) correlating negatively with the elastic and viscous component of whole blood viscosity. Plasma viscosity increased with stage of retinopathy. Mean glutathione peroxidase activity in RBC was reduced in IDDM (5.78 +/- 0.77 vs 5.13 +/- 1.03 U gHb-1, p = 0.029). In IDDM with normal renal function (creatinine < or = 97.2 mumol l-1, no albuminuria) vitamin A was significantly reduced (1.26 +/- 0.62 vs 1.89 +/- 0.56 mumol l-1, p = 0.005). Vitamin A levels increased with impaired renal function. They strongly correlated with plasma creatinine (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) and plasma viscosity (r = 0.71, p = 0.001). However, in vitro experiments with different vitamin A plasma concentrations indicated that this particular correlation may not represent a causal one. No changes in vitamin E were found in IDDM. We conclude that reduced selenium concentrations in RBC contribute to impaired haemorheology in IDDM patients. Plasma viscosity was not affected by the plasma concentrations of vitamins A and E.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin IV, Wien, Austria.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Osterode
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holler
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ulberth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000975:Antioxidants; D001809:Blood Viscosity; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood; D004548:Elasticity; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D008875:Middle Aged; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D012016:Reference Values; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium