Impact of Vitamin E supplementation on lipoprotein peroxidation and composition in Type 1 diabetic patients treated with Atorvastatin.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of Vitamin E on lipids and peroxidation during statin treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS T1DM patients with high cholesterol received Atorvastatin 20mg with either placebo (group AP, n = 11) or d-alpha-tocopherol 750 IU (group AE, n = 11) daily. They were monitored for blood biochemistry, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions and lipid peroxidation at inclusion and after 3 and 6 months. RESULTS Serum cholesterol and triglycerides decreased to the same extent (29 and 21% respectively) in both groups. Serum tocopherol decreased by 18% in AP and increased by 50% in AE (P < 0.0001, between-group comparison by repeated measures ANOVA) but relative to lipids it increased by 15% in AP and by 100% in AE. Copper-induced production of thiobarbituric reactive substances in the LDL + VLDL fraction increased by 18% in AP and did not change in AE (P = 0.02). The lagtime for the production of fluorescent products was prolonged by 13 min only in group AE (P = 0.028). Plasma malondialdehyde decreased by 35% in both groups (P = 0.002) but not when adjusted for lipids. CONCLUSIONS In T1DM Vitamin E supplements do not affect the lowering of lipids and plasma malondialdehyde achieved by Atorvastatin. They reverse the increase of in vitro peroxidation caused by Atorvastatin but do not achieve the decreases observed in patients not receiving lipid-lowering drugs. These results indicate that the antioxidant effect of Vitamin E is attenuated when given in conjunction with this statin.