Vitamin E and Coronary Heart Disease in Tunisians (Nutrition) (Clinical Report‪)‬

Vitamin E (VE)[5] the main lipid-soluble antioxidant, is thought to contribute to the prevention of atherosclerosis through inhibition of oxidation of LDL (1-3). Previous studies that looked into the association of VE and coronary heart disease (CHD) did not show an unequivocal relationship between them. A negative correlation had been reported between serum VE mean concentrations and coronary mortality rates in several European populations, suggesting a protective effect of VE against atherosclerosis (4). A negative association was also observed between VE and CHD morbidity and mortality in studies based on blood measurement, dietary intake, or supplementation (5-8). In contrast, no consistent relationship was found between VE and myocardial infarction or CHD death risks in other epidemiological prospective studies (9-12). Taking into account the influence on the atherogenic process of the balance between antioxidants and oxidizable substrates, the purpose of the present case-control study was to assess the association between lipid-standardized VE and CHD in a sample of the Tunisian population. Because of the antioxidant effect of VE, we tested in vitro LDL susceptibility to oxidation and analyzed serum fatty acid profiles. Subjects and Methods