Vitamin E Does Not Regress Hypercholesterolemic Atherosclerosis

Abstract

These results suggest that (1) regular diet following a high-cholesterol diet decreased oxidative stress but did not induce regression of atherosclerosis; (2) vitamin E did not produce regression; and (3) regular diet with vitamin E following a high-cholesterol diet was not associated with an increase in oxidative stress but produced acceleration of atherosclerosis.

Vitamin E does not slow the progression of hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis

“…Vitamin E did not lower serum lipids in the present study. Similar findings have been reported previously (1,(17)(18)(19)24,25).…”

“…The data suggest that the antioxidant reserve decreased with 0.25% cholesterol intake for two months, while it increased with the same amount of cholesterol intake for a longer duration (four months). These findings are similar to those of Prasad (19). However, 0.25% cholesterol in other studies reduced the aortic-CL (26,28).…”

“…However, the highcholesterol diet tended to decrease the zymosan-activated WBC-CL. Similar findings have been reported previously (19,26). Increases in the chemiluminescent activity of activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes in hypercholesterolemia have been reported (1).…”

“…There were increases in the levels of serum TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TC/HDL-C in rabbits on a high-cholesterol diet similar to previous reports (1,2,4,19). The initial values of TC in groups II and III were higher compared with group I.…”

“…Averill et al (18) showed that vitamin E does not inhibit the progression of established atherosclerotic lesions in old apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. The controversial effects of vitamin E in established coronary artery disease may be due to endogenous antioxidant status among the participants, timing of intervention relative to the atherosclerotic process, its ineffectiveness in regression or slowing of progression of atherosclerosis in established coronary artery disease, end points (mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction, selected for effectiveness of vitamin E), administration of vitamin E with other drugs, and the type of vitamin E. Vitamin E has been reported to suppress hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis (1) but it does not produce regression of atherosclerosis (19). It is not known whether vitamin E would be effective in slowing the progression of established atherosclerosis.…”