Relation of Vitamin E to Lipid Metabolism

A REQUIREMENT for vitamin E by various species of animals, excluding man, has long been recognized and the various ill effects observed as a result of a deficiency of vitamin B have been well documented. Our interest in the role that vitamin E exerts in some phases of lipid metabolism has arisen from three areas of our research: ( I) the protection afforded polyunsaturated fatty acids in the body by the ingestion of vitamin E; (2) the production of experimental muscular dystrophy in certain species of animals when fed a vitamin E-de-ficient diet; and (3) the alleviation by vitamin E of interferences with reproductive perform-ance in rats fed certain heat treated oils as the sole source of fat in the diet. Reports concerning the relations between vitamin E and various phases of cholesterol metabolism are relatively few and are con-troversial in nature. The action of vitamin E in the maintenance of normal cholesterol levels in skeletal muscle is well substantiated. An elevation of the cholesterol levels in skeletal muscle has been observed in vitamin E-de ficient rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, calves and chicks.’5 It has also been reported that vitamin E deficiency in rabbits and guinea pigs results in elevated plasnia cholesterol levels, 9 although Gray and Loh’#{176}have reported an in-creased plasma cholesterol value in healthy subjects after tocopherol administration. Cho