Vitamin E and Its Relation to Heart Disease

Abstract

Although vitamin E deficiency in ruminants results in conspicuous heart disease, a similar deficiency state in primates appears to spare the heart, even when other systems are affected. No heart disease in man has been related to a vitamin E deficiency. The pharmacologic use of vitamin E in doses 10 to 50 times the daily requirement was recommended in 1947 for the treatment of a variety of cardiovascular disorders, including intermittent claudication, angina pectoris, coronary occlusion, congestive heart failure, thrombophlebitis and thromboembolism, but no evidence of its effectiveness has been convincingly verified during the ensuing 25 years.

Interrelation of Platelet Vitamin E and Thromboxane Synthesis in Type I Diabetes Mellitus

“…12 Hyperactive platelets are believed to be involved in the etiology of diabetic atherosclerotic complications 2 as well as microangiopathy and microthromboses. 3 Increased platelet aggregation has been reported in human diabetic subjects 45 and experimental animal diabetes.…”

“…10 Vitamin E therapy has been used, with varying degrees of success, in the treatment of such disorders as thrombophlebitis and thromboembolism 11 and peripheral vascular disease. 12 Favorable results with this therapy have been attributed to effects of vitamin E on platelet function. 11 Platelet hyperaggregability and increased malonyldialdehyde production have been demonstrated in vitamin E-deficient children, with complete reversal by supplemental dietary vitamin E. 13 Supplementation with dietary vitamin E has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation, 1415 PGE 2 and PGF 2u synthesis, 16 and TxA 2 synthesis.…”

Vitamin Toxicity

“…It continues to be the subject of studies in humans to determine its efficacy for such diverse conditions as heart disease, arteriosclerosis, progressive muscular dystrophy, habitual and threat ened abortion, sterility in the male, retrolental fibroplasia, hemolytic disease of the newborn, and many other conditions (105)(106)(107)(108)(109)(110)(111)(112)(113)(114)(115). A recent study subjected 28 adults to 100 to 8 00 international units (IUs) of vitamin E daily for a period of three years.…”

Vitamin E and Platelet Aggregation

“…The results of these clinical studies were conflicting and in 1973, Olsen [7] concluded that vitamin E has no place in the treatment of any car diovascular disease. However, it has been claimed that tocopherol has antithrombin properties [6].…”