Study Identifies Vitamin E as Disease Marker in Irregular Heartbeat

by | Jul 18, 2013 | 2013, Cardiovascular Health, Vitamin E

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Of the 1012 patients with atrial fibrillation, those who had no cardiovascular events had 15.7% higher levels of vitamin E; however, patients with blood levels of vitamin E lower than 4.2 micromole/mmolcholesterol had an 87% increased risk of cardiovascular events. 

Atrial fibrillation is the most common chronic irregular heartbeat condition in adults (1). Its increased incidence in the United States is thought to be due to the increased rates of obesity and diabetes (2) and is expected to afflict  7.5 million Americans by 2050 (3). Because of its association with fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance, atrial fibrillation is also associated with a higher risk of stroke, dementia, heart failure, and total mortality (4).

Research has started to suggest ways to identify which patients with atrial fibrillation are at risk for a dangerous condition called thromboembolism. These include blood tests, measuring for increased levels of the inflammatory protein, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (5, 6), a heart muscle protein called cardiac troponin I, another protein called N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (7), and a measure of kidney function in the form of creatinine clearance (8).

Now a new study (9) suggests that vitamin E, whose antioxidant properties are known to help decrease blood clotting (10, 11)) and hardening of the arteries (12) may now be a marker of possible cardiovascular events in those with atrial fibrillation. In the study, researchers obtained blood samples from 1,012 patients with atrial fibrillation and followed them for an average of 27 months, documenting any cardiovascular event such as heart disease and both fatal and nonfatal heart attacks and strokes.

Among the 1,012 patients, 109 cardiovascular deaths occurred over the 27 months of follow-up (18 fatal and 14 nonfatal heart attacks, 13 fatal and 19 nonfatal strokes, 45 deaths from heart disease). Compared to those who had a cardiovascular event, those who did not have a cardiovascular event had 15.7% higher levels of vitamin E (4.4 vs 3.8 micromoles per millimole of cholesterol, p < 0.001). When looking at specific vitamin E blood levels, they found that those with atrial fibrillation having a vitamin E blood level less than 4.2 micromole/mmol cholesterol increased their risk of having a cardiovascular event by 87% (p = 0.002).

For the researchers, “our study provides evidence on an inverse relationship between cholesterol-adjusted vitamin E serum levels and cardiovascular events and suggests the need of monitoring dietary habit in atrial fibrillation patients.”

Source: Cangemi, Roberto, et al. “Cholesterol-adjusted vitamin E serum levels are associated with cardiovascular events in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.” International journal of cardiology 168.4 (2013): 3241-3247.

© 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Posted July 18, 2013.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

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