Vitamin E and Cardiovascular Diseases: An Interest to Public Health?

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide. From this perspective, the role of vitamin E and its metabolites in preventing CVD has been studied, being supported by the findings that low vitamin E concentrations are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Despite this, no studies analyzed coexistence of vitamin E deficiency (VED) and CVD based on population studies. Facing that, this study summarized information on the relationship between vitamin E status and CVD, providing basis for understanding the determining and protective factors for its development. VED may be a public health problem since it has been observed to vary from 0.6% to 55.5% worldwide, with higher percentages in Asia and Europe, where CVD mortality rates stand out. Intervention studies with α-tocopherol supplementation do not confirm cardioprotective action of vitamin E, which may reflect that α-tocopherol alone does not provide cardiovascular protection to individuals, but the consumption of all isomers found in food. Considering that low concentrations of α-tocopherol can lead the population to being more susceptible to diseases involving oxidative stress, in addition to the high and growing prevalence of CVD and VED, it is essential to investigate or reinterpret the mechanisms of action of vitamin E and its metabolites in the cardiovascular process to better understand the coexistence of CVD and VED. It is also important to implement public health policies and programs aimed at promoting the consumption of natural food sources of vitamin E and healthy fats.