EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM VITAMIN-E SUPPLEMENTATION IN ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOTICS

Objective: Alcohol ingestion promotes lipoperoxidation and alters cell ular antioxidant mechanisms. Alpha-tocopherol levels decrease in alcoh olics as severity of liver damage increases. The aim of this protocol was to study the effects of a long-term oral 500 mg vitamin E daily su pplementation in decompensated ambulatory alcoholic cirrhotics. Patien ts and Methods: 67 subjects were included in this double blind trial; 33 patients received vitamin E and 34 patients received placebo tablet s of identical appearance during 1 year. Each month, the patients were seen by a nurse practitioner who was in charge of detecting alcohol i ngestion and checking adherence to treatment. Every 3 months, the pati ents underwent a medical examination, and blood samples were taken for clinical laboratory analysis and serum vitamin E measurement. Results : Alpha-tocopherol levels were significantly lower in patients with mo re severe liver disease. This difference was not significant when vita min E levels were corrected by cholesterol. Oral supplementation signi ficantly increased serum vitamin E levels in the experimental group. A lcohol ingestion and hospitalization rates were similar in both groups . Life table analysis did not show significant differences in mortalit y between the two groups. Discussion: Vitamin E supplementation with a dequate doses of an alpha-tocopheryl acetate formulation during 1 year did not influence hepatic laboratory parameters, mortality or hospita lization rates of decompensated alcoholic cirrhotics, although serum l evels of the vitamin significantly increased.