Effect of vitamin E supplementation on serum and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in renal patients on maintenance hemodialysis

Abstract

A significant increase in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol after the ingestion of short-term megadoses of vitamin E has been documented in the recent literature. No attempt has been made to examine the effect of vitamin E supplementation on the serum lipids in chronic renal patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. This patient group typically exhibits subnormal high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels which may be a factor responsible for their increased mortality rate from atherosclerosis. In the present study, seven male renal patients on dialysis were given 600 IU of vitamin E daily for 4 wk. The level of total, free, and esterified cholesterol and triglyceride in whole serum and high-density lipoprotein were measured pre- and postregimen. No significant change was noted in any of the parameters examined for the group as a whole. Our results suggest that short-term high-dose vitamin E ingestion is unlikely to benefit the majority of renal patients on maintenance hemodialysis in regards to their circulating levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.