Monday, November 26, 2007

Vitamin E boost for diabetics' heart health

Vitamin E supplements may halve the risk of cardiovascular events among diabetics, if they carry a particular version of a gene, says new research from Israel.

Diabetics with the haptoglobin (Hp) 2-2 gene, associated with an inferior antioxidant protection and a raised risk of cardiovascular events, were afforded protection from vitamin E supplements (400IU daily mixed tocopherol), according to the research published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Levy and co-workers recruited 1434 people with type-2 diabetes with the Hp2-2 genee and randomly assigned them to receive a daily vitamin E supplement (400 U/d) or placebo for 18 months.

They report that the individuals receiving the vitamin supplements had 50 per cent fewer heart attacks, strokes, and related deaths than Hp 2-2 patients receiving the placebo (2.2 per cent compared to 4.7 per cent, respectively).

Moreover, the researcher report no adverse effects observed in patients who took vitamin E.

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