Tocopherol Storage and Depletion in Adipose Tissue and Plasma of Normal and Diabetic Human Subjects

Abstract

The results of dietary supplementation with tocopherol in the human on tocopherol levels in adipose tissue and plasma were observed with 18 normal males (30–40 years) and also in 20 obese diabetics. In the subjects in normal health, 2 weeks of supplementation with 1.0 g of tocopherol/day for each subject increased the tocopherol levels of adipose tissue from 38 to 80 µg/g and of plasma from 4 to 11 µg/ml. The levels declined rapidly when supplementation ceased. With the group of diabetics the tocopherol levels of adipose tissue and plasma were similarly substantially increased by oral supplementation. In adipose tissue the relative increase in the diabetics was apparently greater than in the normal subjects and the rate of depletion seemed more rapid. Medication with oral hypoglycemic agents appeared to be associated with higher levels of tocopherol during and following supplementation. The relative increase of tocopherol in plasma of the diabetic subjects was found to be smaller and the rate of depletion after the end of supplementation was more rapid than with the normals. However, the number of patients studied was too small and the number of variables too large to permit more than suggestions for further investigation.