Vitamin E Supports Lung Function

In a new clinical trial, researchers reported that vitamin E supports lung function in women. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with significant antioxidant and free-radical scavenging activity.

The subjects in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial included 38,597 female health professionals age 45 years or older with normal lung function at the beginning of the study. The subjects received either 600 IU of vitamin E every other day or placebo. Some of the women also received 100 mg of aspirin every other day. The women were followed for 10 years to assess lung function.

The results of the study found that the women receiving vitamin E were more likely to maintain healthy lung function compared to the women in the placebo group. Additionally, the data was not affected by cigarette smoking, aspirin intake, multivitamin intake or vitamin E intake in the diet. The data did show that cigarette smoking increased the likelihood of developing chronic suboptimal lung function by more than 4 times compared to women who never smoked.

The study authors concluded that in this large randomized trial, assignment to 600 IU vitamin E led to better protection of healthy lung function.

Reference:

Agler AH, Kurth T, Gaziano JM, Buring JE, Cassano PA. Randomised vitamin E supplementation and risk of chronic lung disease in the Women’s Health Study. Thorax. 2011 Apr;66(4):320-5.