Chronic vitamin E administration improves brachial reactivity and increases intracellular magnesium concentration in type II diabetic patients.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin E.

Vascular disease accounts for the majority of the clinical complications in diabetes mellitus.

As an exaggerated oxidative stress degree has been postulated as the link between diabetes mellitus and endothelial function, a possible positive effect of plasma vitamin E (Vit.E) administration on brachial reactivity could be postulated.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Forty adult, type II diabetic patients were enrolled in the study, which was deigned as a double blind, randomized vs. placebo trial.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Vitamin E group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Vitamin E study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Vitamin E group a baseline to be compared against.

What Was Measured

At baseline all patients underwent the following tests: 1) anthropometric and metabolic examinations, 2) evaluation of oxidative stress indexes, 3) intracellular magnesium and calcium measurements, and 4) determination of arterial compliance and distensibility.

At the end of this treatment period, a complete reevaluation of the patients was made.

The subject headings attached to it are Blood Glucose, Body Composition, Brachial Plexus, Calcium, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Glutathione and Lipid Peroxides.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin E.

The publication is from 2000 (The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism), a journal based in United States.

More context: all human trials.