This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. A number of observational and experimental studies have shown that the recognized risk factors for atherosclerosis promote an inflammatory oxidative environment in the vasculature that is conducive to the evolution of pathologic changes in the endothelium. Considerable evidence now exists that endothelial dysfunction both precedes and accelerates atherosclerosis. Antioxidants nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc are therefore likely to contribute to a decrease of endothelial dysfunction and diminish the incidence of cardiovascular events. However, the previous use of antioxidant supplements in clinical trials has yielded disappointing and controversial results. The use of dietary antioxidant vitamins continues to grow in the US.
The aim of this study is to contrast the effects of the most widely used supplemental and dietary antioxidants on different markers of endothelial abnormalities. As endothelial dysfunction is a key underlying factor in atherogenesis, tests of endothelium dependent vasomotion and on circulating markers of endothelial activity (inflammatory markers) may provide a rapid and reliable methodology to assess the clinical outcome of antioxidant procedures at low cost.
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