Abstract
Serum lipid concentrations of adult-onset diabetes treated with diet, drug or insulin, were identical to those of healthy subjects with muched age. Serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations of these patients were howevea higher than those of the controls and serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) showed the tendency to be low when compared with the healthy subjects. Particularly, those who had the history of ischemic heart disease or obesity, had low HDL concentrations. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) whlch is considered to be an index of serum lipoperoxide was markedly elevated in the diabetic patients.
After 24 weeks of oral administration of 600mg tocopheryl nicotinate (TN), serum MDA decreased significantly. Although serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were not influeced by TN administration, serum cholesterol in the patients with hypercholesterolaemia was significantly reduced. Serum LDL decreased at the late stage of the treatment. Above all, LDL concentrations at a high level were reduced from the early stage of the treatment. ln the patients with low HDL concentrations, TN treatment promptly elevated the serum lipoprotein levels of the patients and maintained high levels during the treatment. Consequently, serum alpha/beta lipoprotein ratio in the diabetic patients was normalized throughout the TN medication.
About 70 percent of the diabetic patients had impaired liver functions, especially, serum alkaline phosphatase and TN administration improved the abnormality of serum alkaline phosphatase.
