title: Serum concentrations of vitamins A and E in impaired glucose tolerance.
abstract: Serum concentrations of vitamins A and E were measured in 32 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 148 subjects with normal glucose tolerance using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Fasting glucose, insulin and lipid concentrations were also measured. Serum vitamin A concentrations were higher in subjects with IGT 2.5 (1.1-3.4) vs. 2.1 (1.4-3.2) mumol/l [median (2.5-97.5 percentiles)] (P = 0.002), the difference remaining significant after adjustment for triglycerides (P = 0.028). There was a univariate association between vitamin A levels and insulin resistance (r = 0.164; P = 0.02) and in multivariate logistic regression analysis the relative risk of subjects with high vitamin A concentrations having IGT was 3.8 (P = 0.002). There were no differences in serum vitamin E concentrations between the groups. These data suggest that higher vitamin A concentrations found in non-insulin-dependent diabetes pre-date the onset of diabetes. Further studies are required to confirm this finding and to investigate the possibility of a role for vitamin A in the aetiology of diabetes and IGT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tavridou
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Unwin
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Laker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Alberti
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E