TAKING VITAMIN E DOESN'T SLOW THICKENING OF ARTERY WALLS.

Byline: - Mariko Thompson

Despite its early promise, vitamin E fails to slow the progression of atherosclerosis in healthy people, a study by the USC Atherosclerosis Research Unit has found.

Though vitamin E reduces oxidation of LDL cholesterol - the so-called ``bad cholesterol'' - in the blood, it doesn't prevent the artery walls from thickening, a condition that can lead to heart attack or stroke.

More than 300 healthy men and women age 40 or older participated in the study, taking either a daily dose of vitamin E or a placebo. After three years, participants who took the vitamin E showed significantly less oxidized LDL cholesterol in the blood. But they had comparable progression of atherosclerosis to those who took the placebo.

NOT SO SUNKEN: A new UCLA study shows that a growing number of adults are seeking surgery to repair pectus excavatum or ``sunken chest'' syndrome, a common congenital chest deformity.

Although the defect occurs in 1 out of every 400 births, many patients progress to adulthood without surgical repair. UCLA researchers found that news of minimally invasive surgical techniques has spread via the Internet and led many adults age 19 and older to undergo the procedure.

According to Dr. Eric Fonkalsrud, professor of surgery at UCLA and the study's lead investigator, patients with severe pectus chest experience worsening symptoms such as shortness of breath and heart palpitations as adults. The study found that 97 percent of the 116 adult patients would recommend the surgical procedure to other patients suffering from sunken chest syndrome.