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new study suggest that taking vitamin E supplements appears
to improve blood flow in patients with type 1 diabetes.
Type I diabetes
is caused by a lack of insulin, the hormone responsible for
regulating blood sugar, or glucose. Previous studies have shown
that diabetics have impaired functioning of the endothelium,
a thin layer of cells that line blood vessels and control the
flow of blood by relaxing and contracting the vessel.
To investigate
whether vitamin E, an antioxidant, could improve endothelial
function in patients with type 1 diabetes, Australian researchers
gave 41 patients 1,000 international units (IU) of the vitamin
or a placebo (inactive pill), for three months.
Antioxidants
such as vitamin E can mop up free radicals, which are cell-damaging
particles that are a byproduct of normal metabolism.
Using ultrasound,
the researchers measured blood flow in the patients. They found
that those who took vitamin E had an improvement in blood flow
compared to those who took a placebo.
"To
the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in diabetic
subjects to demonstrate improved endothelial function with this
antioxidant," write Dr. R. Andrew P. Skyrme-Jones and colleagues
at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
The researchers
believe that vitamin E can reduce the oxidation of LDL, or "bad"
cholesterol, a step that may ease blood flow difficulties in
type I diabetics. The results suggest that free radicals contribute
to abnormal vascular function in diabetes and that vitamin E
can improve blood flow in these patients in a relatively short
period of time.
"These
findings suggest that vitamin E may have a role in the management
of early vascular disease in subjects with type 1 diabetes,"
the researchers conclude in a statement.
Journal
of the American College of Cardiology 2000;36:94-102.
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