HAIFA, Israel, March 26 (UPI) -- Israeli researchers said Friday a simple blood test could determine whether older women with diabetes would benefit from or be harmed by vitamins.
The researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology said the the test screens for genetic variations in a blood protein called haptoglobin. Diabetic, post-menopausal women who carry two copies of the variation known as haptoglobin-2 increase their risk of atherosclerosis, or narrowed arteries, if they take doses of the antioxidant vitamins C and E, the researchers said.
In contrast, diabetic women who carry two copies of haptoglobin-1 seem to have a decreased rate of atherosclerosis when they take the vitamins.
The new research may help clear up some of the controversy surrounding the use of antioxidant vitamins in patients with heart disease, the researchers said. Some previous studies suggest that antioxidant doses can prevent the progress of atherosclerosis, while the majority of studies have shown there is no benefit from taking antioxidants.
Other studies suggest that the vitamins can actually speed up the course of heart disease by interfering with blood cholesterol levels and the effect of cholesterol lowering drugs.
