[Vitamins in the prevention of hyperlipoproteinemia and atherosclerosis (author's transl)]

Primary and secondary vitamin deficiencies cause many metabolic diseases which possible are life-threatening. Nevertheless none of the hypovitaminosis is known to give rise to hyperlipoproteinemias and/or atherosclerosis. On the other hand, the hypolipemic effect of several vitamins, like retinol, ascorbate, tocopherol and nicotinate, has clearly been demonstrated. This effect takes place either on clinically non-demonstrable hypovitaminosis, or by a true pharmacological activity of those factors. In the last case several different mechanisms are probably involved, which are described in the present paper. The use of vitamins in metabolic disorders is justified both for the primary prevention, in order to correct the causes of hyperlipoproteinemias, and in the secondary one, to diminish the blood fat levels, which increase the risk of atherogenesis.