To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Vitamin E Works As Anti-Inflammatory Agent In Type II Diabetes URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1D9236.htm Doctor's Guide July 10, 2000
DALLAS, TX -- July 10, 2000 -- A high intake of vitamin E can help reduce heart disease and stroke risk in type II diabetics, UT Southwestern researchers have found. In a study published in the July 11 issue of Circulation, Drs. Ishwarlal Jialal and Sridevi Devaraj found that increased inflammation caused by white blood cells -- monocytes -- was reduced when diabetics were given 1,200 International Units per day of natural vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) for three months. "This is the first study that shows that vitamin E has anti-inflammatory effects in diabetic patients," said Dr. Jialal, professor of pathology and internal medicine. "It could be a further therapy to prevent vascular complications in diabetes since inflammation seems to be critical as a causative factor in diabetic vascular disease.'' The main cause of death and morbidity in type II diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, are vascular complications. Previous studies by Dr. Jialal, the principal investigator in this study and a senior investigator in the Center for Human Nutrition, have shown that vitamin E is a potent antioxidant. Type II diabetics with and without macrovascular disease were compared with nondiabetics. Twenty-five participants in each of the three groups were given 1,200 IU of vitamin E daily for three months followed by two-months without the supplement. Blood was taken from all the patients at the beginning of the study, after three months and again after the washout. The effect of the vitamin E was similar in all three groups. The study showed that type II diabetic patients have increased inflammation, as shown by the activity of a pivotal cell (the circulating monocyte) in plaque formation on artery walls. The monocyte is a crucial and the most readily accessible cell involved in atherogenesis. Study data showed that the diabetic monocyte was more active and promoted more inflammation and more free radicals and cytokines, or messenger molecules. The diabetic monocyte also caused more adhesion to the lining cells of the artery wall. "It was very important to elucidate the pivotal role for inflammation in diabetic vascular disease and examine how it could be modulated," said Dr. Devaraj, assistant professor in the clinical biochemistry and human metabolism division in the Department of Pathology. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.