Antioxidants and Atherosclerotic Heart Disease

Abstract

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated an association between increased intake of antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E and vitamin C and reduced morbidity and mortality from coronary artery disease. This association has been explained on the basis of the “oxidative-modification hypothesis” of atherosclerosis, which proposes that atherogenesis is initiated by oxidation of the lipids in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also termed lipid peroxidation. As a corollary to this hypothesis, antioxidants that inhibit lipid peroxidation in LDL should limit atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. In this review, we will evaluate the current literature involving antioxidants and vascular . . .