Impact of Vitamin E Supplementation on Blood Pressure and Hs-CRP in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health problem worldwide. Hypertension and inflammation are well recognized as risk factors for the macrovascular complications of diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of vitamin E supplementation on blood pressure (BP), serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fasting blood glucose in patients with T2DM. Methods: In a double blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial, 83 patients with T2DM were divided randomly into two groups of vitamin E (400 mg/d, n=42) and placebo (n=41). All patients received the pearls for 8 weeks. Baseline and eighth week BP, serum hs-CRP, fasting blood glucose, anthropometric and dietary intake data were obtained from each patient. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 11.5. Results: Vitamin E supplementation significantly increased serum levels of vitamin E (P < 0.001) and decreased mean arterial pressure and fasting blood glucose (P = 0.047, P = 0.028, respectively) in vitamin E group as compared with placebo group. A significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure was observed in the vitamin E group comparing with baseline values (all P < 0.01). There were no significant changes in serum hs-CRP in both of the studied groups. Conclusion: Vitamin E had beneficial effects on serum vitamin E, BP and blood glucose in patients with T2DM. Improvement in BP and glucose control may contribute to reducing complications of diabetes including cardiovascular risk in these patients.