METHODS: Twenty postmenopausal women with a mean age of 54.59 +/- 1.22 years participated in this randomized, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. All women received 400 IU of tocopherol daily for 10 weeks or a placebo capsule, before being crossed over for treatment. At intervals of 5 weeks, subjects attended sessions where measurements of arterial stiffness, blood pressure and plasma vitamin E level were taken. Pulse wave velocity measurement, using the automated Complior machine, was used as an index of arterial stiffness.
RESULTS: Plasma vitamin E level was 30.38 +/- 1.56 micromol/l at baseline, after treatment it was 59.01 +/- 3.30 micromol/l and 31.17 +/- 1.37 micromol/l with vitamin E and placebo, respectively (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in pulse wave velocity after 10-week treatment with placebo and vitamin E (9.14 +/- 0.29 versus 9.04 +/- 0.29 m/s, respectively). Similarly, no difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was seen between placebo and vitamin E at the end of 10 weeks.
CONCLUSION: Supplementary vitamin E for 10 weeks at 400 IU daily has no effect on arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women.