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The effect of hormone replacement therapy on vitamin E status in postmenopausal women
Y Wen1, M C Doyle, R F Harrison
1Department of Therapeutics, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Objectives:
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is the most important dietary antioxidant found in lipids and cell membranes and its intake is inversely related to the incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Oestrogen-containing oral contraceptives may decrease plasma vitamin E level in young women. We investigated if oestrogen-containing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may have the same effect on vitamin E status in postmenopausal women
Methods:
Eighteen healthy postmenopausal women took a combination of oestrogen/progestogen (Harmogen Provera) therapy and another ten acted as a control group. Blood samples were taken at baseline and repeated after 3 and 6 months in both groups. Vitamin E in plasma, red cells and isolated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was measured as alpha-tocopherol by high-performance liquid chromatography.
Results:
Vitamin E status showed no change in either group after 3 and 6 months in comparison to its baseline value.
Conclusion:
Combined oestrogen/progestogen HRT for 6 months in healthy postmenopausal women did not alter vitamin E. status in vivo.