Research paper
Antioxidant Supplementation in Atherosclerosis Prevention (ASAP) study: a randomized trial of the effect of vitamins E and C on 3‐year progression of carotid atherosclerosis
Study answer
What this study found
Combined vitamin E plus slow-release vitamin C supplementation slowed common carotid atherosclerosis progression in men, with the clearest benefit among smokers; no substantial preventive effect was seen in postmenopausal women. In men, mean carotid IMT progression over 36 months was 0.011 mm/year with both vitamins versus 0.020 mm/year with placebo, and covariate-adjusted IMT increase was 50.9% less than in other men (0.009 vs. 0.018 mm/year, P = 0.044) and 45.0% less than placebo (P = 0.049). The odds ratio for progression versus placebo in men receiving both vitamins was 0.26 (0.11,…
- Study & population
- Randomized, placebo-controlled trial in adults aged 45 to 69 years with hypercholesterolemia in Kuopio, Eastern Finland.
- Intervention
- Adults were randomized to oral vitamin E 91 mg d-alpha-tocopherol twice daily, vitamin C 250 mg slow-release ascorbic acid twice daily, both vitamins in a single tablet, or placebo for 3 years.
- Key limitation
- The main benefit was confined to a male subgroup, especially smokers, which limits generalizability.
View source
Open PDFOriginal abstract
Abstract. Salonen JT, Nyyssönen K, Salonen R, Lakka H‐M, Kaikkonen J, Porkkala‐Sarataho E, Voutilainen S, Lakka TA, Rissanen T, Leskinen L, tuomainen T‐P, Valkonen V‐P, Ristonmaa U (University of Kuopio, Finland), Poulsen HE (University of Copenhagen…