Serum Tocopherol, Cholesterol, and Triglyceride in Coronary Heart Disease

Abstract

The plasma tocopherol, cholesterol, and triglyceride were estimated in 175 male survivors of myocardial infarction and in control subjects. The control subjects comprised 214 blood donors (without healthy control) and 70 healthy persons. The coronary group derived from two sources: Group I had had myocardial infarction 4 to 6 weeks before the study; group II was composed of persons who had experienced a myocardial infarction 6 to 30 months before the study. A tocopherol-loading test with 2 Gm. of tocopherol acetate was performed in 101 coronary subjects and in 34 control subjects. The 24-hour plasma tocopherol was estimated after the tocopherol load. Ninety per cent of the young control subjects (20 to 35 years of age) had plasma to-copoherol below 15 mg./L., cholesterol below 290 mg./per 100 ml., triglyceride below 140 mg./100 ml., and 24-hour tocopherol below 24 mg./L. In reference to these concentrations, 53 per cent of the whole coronary group had an elevated plasma tocopherol level, 62 per cent had an elevated serum cholesterol level, and 56 per cent showed hypertriglyceridemia. The 24-hour plasma tocopherol level in normal subjects was exceeded by 77 per cent of the subjects with coronary heart disease. The mean lipid levels were all slightly higher in group I (recent cases) than in group II (old cases). The difference was significant, however, only for triglycerides. The whole coronary group was divided according to age in two subgroups (age below and over 50). No significant difference existed in the two groups. The regression analyses of the lipids showed that none of the lipid measurements appeared to be fully independent variables. A highly significant regression was present for cholesterol versus tocopherol. The relationship between triglyceride and tocopherol was not so striking, although the regression was significant also here except the coronary group II.