Vitamin E and Coronary Heart Disease in Tunisians

Vitamin E (VE) is thought to be effective in preventing atherosclerosis. However, to date no consistent relationship has been identified between VE and coronary heart disease (CHD). This study was designed to assess the degree of association between VE and CHD in a sample of the Tunisian population. Sixty-two angiographically confirmed coronary atherosclerotic patients and 65 age- and sex-matched controls were included. VE was measured in plasma and in the LDL fraction by HPLC. Cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids were measured by enzymatic methods. A trend toward a meaningful decrease of plasma VE was observed in affected patients compared with controls (P: = 0.06). VE concentrations standardized for cholesterol and lipid concentrations were significantly lower (P: