Epidemiological and biochemical studies infer that oxidative processes, including the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are involved in atherosclerosis. Vitamin E has been the focus of several large supplemental studies of cardiovascular disease, yet its potential to attenuate or even prevent atherosclerosis has not been realised. The scientific rationale for vitamin E supplements protecting against atherosclerosis is based primarily on the oxidation theory of atherosclerosis, the assumption that vitamin E becomes depleted as disease progresses, and the expectation that vitamin E prevents the oxidation of LDL in vivo and atherogenic events linked to such oxidation. However, it is increasingly clear that the balance between vitamin E and other antioxidants may be crucial for in vivo antioxidant protection, that vitamin E is only minimally oxidised and not deficient in atherosclerotic lesions, and that vitamin E is not effective against two-electron oxidants that are increasingly implicated in both early and later stages of the disease. It also remains unclear as to whether oxidation plays a bystander or a casual role in atherosclerosis. This lack of knowledge may explain the ambivalence of vitamin E and other antioxidant supplementation in atherosclerosis.

中文翻译：

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维生素E在动脉粥样硬化中的作用。

流行病学和生化研究推断，动脉粥样硬化涉及氧化过程，包括低密度脂蛋白（LDL）的氧化。维生素E一直是心血管疾病的几项大型补充研究的重点，但尚未意识到其减弱或预防动脉粥样硬化的潜力。预防动脉粥样硬化的维生素E补充剂的科学原理主要基于动脉粥样硬化的氧化理论，随着疾病进展维生素E逐渐耗尽的假设，以及对维生素E防止体内LDL氧化以及与此相关的动脉粥样硬化事件的期望氧化。但是，越来越明显的是，维生素E和其他抗氧化剂之间的平衡对于体内抗氧化剂的保护可能至关重要，认为维生素E仅被最低程度地氧化并且在动脉粥样硬化病变中没有缺陷，并且维生素E对对抗越来越多地涉及该疾病早期和晚期的二电子氧化剂无效。关于氧化在动脉粥样硬化中是旁观者还是偶然的作用还不清楚。缺乏知识可能解释了动脉粥样硬化中维生素E和其他抗氧化剂补充的矛盾性。