DIETARY FISH-OIL INDUCED CHANGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL, RETINOL, AND BETA-CAROTENE IN PLASMA, RED-BLOOD-CELLS, AND PLATELETS - MODULATION BY VITAMIN-E

Healthy men (ages 24-57 y) were fed a controlled basal diet supplement ed with 15 g/d of placebo oil (PO) for 10 wk followed by 15 g/d of fis h-oil concentrate (FO) (fortified with 15 mg all-rac-tocopherol) for 1 0 wk without additional alpha-tocopherol and the last 8 wk with 200 mg alpha-tocopherol/d (FO + E). Compared with PO, FO raised plasma malon dialdehyde, lowered alpha-tocopherol in plasma, red blood cells, and p latelets; and raised plasma and platelet beta-carotene. Supplementatio n with additional alpha-tocopherol (FO + E) not only restored tocopher ol concentrations but also reversed the rise in beta-carotene. The res ponse in retinol, particularly in platelets, showed an inverse relatio nship to beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol exhibiting a modulating effec t on these changes. From these observations it is postulated that plat elets may be a significant extraintestinal site of retinol formation f rom beta-carotene.