Abstract
Despite extensive research, the effects of alpha-tocopherol supplementation remain controversial. Few studies have been focused on obese and overweight people. We examined the effects of alpha-tocopherol (AT) on the oxidative status and metabolic profile in overweight women. Sixteen overweight women between the ages of 40-60 years old, received AT, 800 IU/day during 12 weeks, followed by a 6-week washout period. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and then every 6 weeks until the end of the study. AT, retinol, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant status (TAS), selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) were quantified to evaluate the oxidative stress. The metabolic profile was estimated by measuring glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in erythrocytes and glucose, phosphate, magnesium, lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in serum. Under AT administration HbA1c, serum- MDA levels and erythrocyte GPx activity were markedly reduced. TAS, AT and Mg2+ concentrations in serum and SOD activity in erythrocytes were higher after AT treatment. Body weight; glucose, lipid and retinol concentrations, or blood cells count were unchanged. Lipid peroxidation was considerably reduced in AT treated women and also improved serum antioxidant status was observed, but the imbalanced response between erythrocyte SOD and GPx activities could affect normal response to oxidative stress.
Highlights
In spite of widespread supplementation use of vitamin E, there is not a complete understanding of its potential benefit
We examined the effects of α-tocopherol (AT) on the oxidative status and metabolic profile in overweight women
The metabolic profile was estimated by measuring glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in erythrocytes and glucose, phosphate, magnesium, lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in serum
Summary
In spite of widespread supplementation use of vitamin E, there is not a complete understanding of its potential benefit. Some reports have shown beneficial effects in experimental models based upon AT antioxidant property to inhibit lipid peroxidation [1, 2]. In the last two years, a study showed AT safety across a broad range of doses [5], while a pair of meta-analysis concluded that high doses of vitamin E may increase the risk of mortality [6,7]. Obesity and being overweight are associated to insulin resistance which could appear previous to type 2 diabetes mellitus. It was shown that oxidative stress is increased in type 2 diabetic patients and in some studies [8], antioxidant therapy has shown beneficial effects, improving glycemic control [9, 10].
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