Improvement of early functional atherosclerotic changes in males with hypercholesterolemia after vitamin E...

Vitamin E as an antioxidant vitamin reduces the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to oxidation and may have antiatherosclerotic effects. We tested the hypothesis that six months of 400 mg vitamin E supplementation favourably affects early functional changes in atherosclerotic process in subjects with hypercholesterolemia. The diameter of the brachial artery at rest, after reactive hyperemia (representing endothelium-dependent vasodilatation) and after sublingual glyceryl-trinitrate (representing endothelium-independent vasodilatation), were determined by ultrasonographic method (B mode) before and after the intervention period. After the intervention period the brachial endothelium-dependent vasodilatation increased significantly in the vitamin E group while it did not change in the placebo group. In conclusion, six months of oral vitamin E supplementation results in improvement of the endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in men with hypercholesterolemia.