Abstract
The demonstration by Adamstone 1 of a marked decrease in brain cholesterol in chicks with encephalomalacia on a diet deficient in Vitamin E (d-l-alpha tocopherol) suggested the present study of the influence of large doses of Vitamin E on the blood cholesterol and fatty acids of 8 adult male patients with schizophrenia.
Experiment. Patients on bed rest were given a daily diet of 200 g of CHO, 63 g of P and 53 g of F, yielding 1500-1600 calories, during the study period and for 2 weeks prior to the use of large doses of Vitamin E. Two fasting blood samples were taken from the cubital veins, a day apart, just before the ingestion of Vitamin E, and single specimens were obtained thereafter at 7-10-day intervals for 77 days. The quantitative determination of cholesterol and fatty acids was made by the methods of Lieberman-Burchard 2 and Bloor 3 respectively.
The administration of Vitamin E was discontinued for 3 periods during the study in order to detect any changes during temporary discontinuance of Vitamin E. During the 77-day period, 5345 mg of Vitamin E were given per os as follows: 570 mg during the first 11 days; discontinued 7 days; 2425 mg the next 25 days; discontinued for 13 days; 2350 mg the next 16 days and then discontinued for the last 5 days. One hundred fifty-two days later the same patients were given the same diets except that no Vitamin E was administered and control blood studies were made at weekly intervals for 70 days.
Results. Blood cholesterol and fatty acids values are shown on Table I. The trend of values for cholesterol during the experimental period shows little variation.
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