Vitamin E status of 20-to 59-year-old adults living in the Seoul metropolitan area of South Korea

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and functions primarily as a lipid antioxidant. Inadequate vitamin E status may increase risk of several chronic diseases. Thus, the objectives of this study were to estimate intake and plasma concentration of each tocopherol and to evaluate vitamin E status of Korean adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Three consecutive 24-h food recalls and fasting blood samples were collected from healthy 20- to 59-y-old adults (33 males and 73 females) living in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Korea. alpha-, beta-, delta-, and gamma-tocopherol intakes and plasma concentrations of tocopherols (alpha-, delta-, and gamma- tocopherol) were analyzed by gender. RESULTS: Dietary vitamin E and total vitamin E intake (dietary plus supplemental vitamin E) was 17.68 +/- 14.34 and 19.55 +/- 15.78 mg alpha-tocopherol equivalents, respectively. The mean daily alpha-tocopherol, and gamma-tocopherol intakes were 3.07 +/- 2.27 mg and 5.98 +/- 3.74 mg, respectively. Intakes of total vitamin E and each tocopherol of males were significantly higher than those of females (P < 0.05). Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration was 15.45 +/- 10.16 of males and 15.00 +/- 4.54 mu mol/L of females, respectively. There were no significant differences in plasma tocopherol concentrations by gender (P < 0.05). Plasma alpha-tocopherol was negatively correlated with gamma-tocopherol intake (P < 0.05). Twenty-three percent of the subjects had plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations < 12 mu mol/L indicating a biochemical deficiency of vitamin E. Approximately 8% and 9% of these participants had plasma alpha-tocopherol:total lipid ratio less than 1.59 mu mol/mmol and plasma alpha-tocopherol:total cholesterol ratio less than 222 mu mol/mmol, respectively, which are also indicative of vitamin E deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin E intakes of Korean adults were generally adequate with the Korean Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin E. However, alpha alpha-tocopherol intake was lower than that reported in other countries, and 23% of the subjects in the current study were vitamin E deficient based on plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations.