Abstract
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) links to oxidative stress in both its origin and progression. Vitamin E has the potential to be a highly effective therapeutic intervention in fighting against T2DM as it protects cells against oxidative stress. While some interventional studies have explored the effect of vitamin E on T2DM, there is a lack of cross-sectional studies globally, and none to our knowledge on the Bangladeshi population. Consequently, it is worthwhile to investigate the serum vitamin E levels in Bangladeshi T2DM patients. Methods: 94 T2DM patients and 30 healthy subjects were evaluated for their serum vitamin E concentration for a comparative cross-sectional study. Mean serum concentrations were compared between these two groups, as well as among different sex and age groups using independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA, as appropriate. Results: The serum vitamin E concentration was significantly lower in T2DM patients (mean ± standard deviation: 8.97 ± 2.99 μg/mL) than in healthy subjects (13.13 ± 2.70 μg/mL), p < 0.001. Additionally, male T2DM patients had significantly higher serum vitamin E levels compared to those in female patients (9.73 ± 3.02 μg/mL in males vs. 7.74 ± 2.53 μg/mL in females; p=0.001). The study showed a significant fall in serum vitamin E concentration with increasing age in T2DM patients (≤ 30 years: 12.7 ± 1.05 μg/mL vs. 31-50 years: 11.06 ± 2.65 μg/mL vs. 51-70 years: 8 ± 2.04 μg/mL vs. 71-90 years: 6.05 ± 0.78 μg/mL; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that lower serum vitamin E levels are significantly associated with T2DM, particularly among female and older patients, highlighting the potential relevance of antioxidant status in T2DM management.