| Study: vitamin E in your diet Good Vitamin E that is! A new study found that a bowl of oatmeal or 800 international units (IUs) of vitamin E helped maintain blood flow in the arteries of individuals who had just consumed high levels of fat. Fat has been shown to cause arteries to constrict, thereby reducing blood flow and raising the risk of heart disease. "Our work...suggests that a high-fat meal impairs blood vessel function," Dr. David Katz, the study's lead author. In this study published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 50 nonsmoking adults with no signs of heart disease drank a milkshake made of ice cream, cream of coconut and eggs, on three separate occasions. Study participants also consumed a bowl of oatmeal, wheat cereal or a vitamin E capsule along with the milkshake. Ultrasound testing revealed that blood flow declined by more than 13% when adults consumed wheat cereal with the milkshake--indicating arteries were constricted. However, there was no decline when they ate oatmeal or took a vitamin E supplement, which indicates arteries were kept open. |
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