Short term effect of a low fat diet on plasma retinol and alpha-tocopherol and red cell alpha-tocopherol levels in hyperlipidemic men.

The effect of a low fat, low cholesterol diet on plasma alpha-tocopherol and retinol and erythrocyte alpha-tocopherol levels was studied in fourteen hyperlipidemic men for a period of 28 days. Plasma alpha-tocopherol decreased with decreasing plasma cholesterol levels while the ratio of plasma alpha-tocopherol to cholesterol remained constant. There was a tendency for plasma retinol levels to decrease but the change was not significant. As plasma alpha-tocopherol levels decreased there was a consistent and significant increase in alpha-tocopherol content of red cells (p less than 0.001). These findings indicate that fat soluble vitamin status is maintained with low fat diets during a short time period.