Vitamin E Deficiency Impairs Weight Gain in Normal and Ovariectomised Growing Female Rats

Estrogen plays a role in maintaining body weight, since ovariectomy in rats, resulting in hypoestrogenemia, also results in significant weight gain. Vitamin E, an antioxidant found in many natural food sources, has been found to be beneficial in certain disease conditions. The effects of vitamin E deficiency and supplementation on body weight in intact and ovariectomised female rats were studied. 30 and 60 mg/kg body weights of palm oil-derived vitamin E, as well as 30 mg/kg body weight of pure -tocopherol, were used. To induce vitamin E deficiency, the rats were fed vitamin E deficient and 50% vitamin E deficient diets. The control diet was normal rat chow. For the intact animals, ody weights in the three vitamin E supplemented groups respectively did not differ significantly from the normal rat chow group throughout the ten-month study period. However, animals on the total and partial vitamin E deficient diets had significantly lower body weights, evident from the first month and persisting throughout the study period. Ovariectomy significantly increased body weights of the rats on the normal rat chow diet and the three vitamin E supplemented diets. However, ovariectomy failed to increase body weights of the total and partial vitamin E deficient diet groups, which did not differ significantly from their intact controls. Thus, vitamin E deficiency impaired weight gain in both estrogenrepleted and estrogen-depleted states. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms involved.