Korean J Fam Pract 2020; 10(6): 456-460  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2020.10.6.456
Relationship between Serum Vitamin E Level and Serum High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Koreans: Based on National Health and Nutrition Survey
Juntae Kim1, Sunmi Kim2,*
1Department of Family Medicine, Kangwon National University Hospital; 2Department of Family Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea
Sunmi Kim
Tel: +82-33-258-2401, Fax: +82-33-258-2165
E-mail: arpsm@naver.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8801-3353
Received: July 20, 2020; Revised: October 28, 2020; Accepted: November 22, 2020; Published online: December 20, 2020.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: Inflammation plays a major role in atherothrombosis, and measuring inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) may provide a novel method for identifying individuals at high risk of plaque rupture. Atherogenesis results from the oxidation of lipids in low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Vitamin E facilitates the reduction in LDL-oxidation, and increases the antioxidant defense system. Therefore, our study aimed to examine the relationship between vitamin E and hs-CRP levels in Korean adults.
Methods: We used data from the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2018). The study population included healthy adults aged >20 years. We investigated age, blood pressure, glucose levels, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, serum vitamin E, and serum hs-CRP levels. We analyzed the relationship between serum vitamin E and serum hs-CRP levels using multiple regression tests.
Results: On statistical analysis, vitamin E levels showed a positive correlation with hs-CRP levels in the female group and the total of the unadjusted model. However, the R2 value is low. After adjustment for factors that may affect hs-CRP, no significant correlation was observed between serum vitamin E and serum hs-CRP levels.
Conclusion: No significant correlation was observed between serum vitamin E and serum hs-CRP levels. Further research is needed on this topic.
Keywords: Vitamin E; High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein; Cardiovascular Disease; Antioxidant
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