Articles Randomised controlled trial of vitamin E in patients with coronary

Background Vitamin E (&agr;-tocopherol) is thought to have a role in prevention of atherosclerosis, through inhibition of oxidation of low-density lipoprotein. Some epidemiological studies have shown an association between high dietary intake or high serum concentrations of &agr;-tocopherol and lower rates of ischaemic heart disease. We tested the hypothesis that treatment with a high dose of &agr;-tocopherol would reduce subsequent risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiovascular death in patients with established ischaemic heart disease. Methods In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study with stratified randomisation, 2002 patients with angiographically proven coronary atherosclerosis were enrolled and followed up for a median of 510 days (range 3-981). 1035 patients were assigned &agr;-tocophero