Should antioxidant vitamin supplementation be applied in patients with metabolic syndrome? A case-control study.
BACKGROUND
All cells in the human body are exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS), which disturb the metabolic reactions in the organism. The antioxidant system in the human body consists of enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms, among which vitamins A, C, and E play a major role.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to evaluate the supply of vitamins A, C, and E from daily food rations (DFR) in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome (MS) in relation to current nutrition standards.


METHODS
The study involved 184 women with MS, aged 45-68 years (mean 57.38 ±8.17 years). The control group comprised 90 women, aged 41-65 years (mean 57.48 ±5.79 years) without MS. The food intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls.


RESULTS
The evaluation of intake of vitamins measured with daily food rations (DFR) demonstrated that the optimal level of 90-110% according to standards was achieved only in 3.62% of women with metabolic syndrome for vitamin A, in 8.88% for vitamin C, and in 11.41% for vitamin E, which was significantly less often found than in the control group (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Women with MS are characterised by diversified intake of vitamins A, C and E, and a subgroup of this patients present low level of antioxidant vitamins intake. Supplementation with antioxidant vitamins should be prescribed individually to postmenopausal women with MS.
Department of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Chair of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Małgorzata
M
Godala
Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrodiabetology, Chair of Internal Diseases and Cardiology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Izabela
I
Materek-Kuśmierkiewicz
Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrodiabetology, Chair of Internal Diseases and Cardiology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Dariusz
D
Moczulski
Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, Chair of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Franciszek
F
Szatko
Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, Chair of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Ewelina
E
Gaszyńska
Faculty of Medicine, University of Rzeszow, Rzeszow, Poland.
Sławomir
S
Tokarski
Department of Internal and Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
Jan
J
Kowalski
antioxidant vitamins supplementation; diet; menopause; metabolic syndrome