Examine lung tissue and sputum samples from a COPD patient, current smoker or former smoker who reports chronic shortness of breath and compare them to people with healthy respiratory function and here is what you will find in the COPD/smoker samples:
1. Enlarged cells of the airway lining and surrounding muscles resulting in narrower airways
2. High concentrations of infection detecting/signaling proteins known as cytokines
3. High concentrations of infection fighting white blood cells known as macrophages
These are the classic indicators of what respiratory researchers call airway inflammation – believed to be a prime cause of shortness of breath.
Next, look at the chemical analysis of blood plasma from COPD patients, current smokers and former smokers who report chronic shortness of breath and compare them to people with normal respiratory function and here is what you will find in the COPD/smoker samples:
1. High concentrations of damaging pro-oxidant molecules known as free radicals
2. Low, deficient concentrations of protective anti-oxidant molecules that neutralize free radicals
These are the classic indicators of what scientists call oxidative stress – an imbalance between anti- and pro-oxidant molecules in the body. Oxidative stress is believed to be a prime cause of airway inflammation in COPD patients and smokers. Cigarette smoke and industrial pollutants are far and away the primary sources of pro-oxidative molecules consumed by those with poor respiratory health.
Four new studies published this month add to the growing number of previous studies which demonstrate the connection between antioxidant levels and healthy respiratory function:
1. A group of NIH researchers reported that of the 118 Buffalo, NY police officers evaluated in their study, those with higher blood plasma concentrations/consumption of Vitamin A and magnesium had better measures of forced vital capacity (FVC) compared to officers with low concentrations. Among police officers who are current/former smokers, the researchers found higher forced vital capacity and higher forced expiratory volume (FEV1) in those with increased intake of Vitamin E. FVC and FEV1 are common diagnostic measures of lung capacity and the quality of lung function. (Charles LE, et al. Antioxidants and Pulmonary Function Among Police Officers. J Occup Environ Med. 2010 Nov;52(11):1124-1131)
2. In Indonesia, a research team divided 108 COPD patients with upper respiratory infections into three groups. In one group, the patients received the antibiotic ciprofloxacin for 7 days. One group received cipro for 7 days and the herb Echinacea purpurea for a total of 14 days. The final group received cipro for 7 days and Echinacea plus the antioxidants zinc, selenium and Vitamin C for a total of 14 days. In particular, the researchers sought to understand if any of the three regimens were correlated with a reduced incidence and severity of post-infection COPD exacerbations (shortness of breath attacks which are strongly linked to inflammation). Their results showed significantly less severe and shorter exacerbation episodes following an upper respiratory infection among the group that received cipro/Echinacea/antioxidants compared with the other two groups. (Isbaniah F. Echinacea purpurea along with zinc, selenium and vitamin C to alleviate exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: results from a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2010 Nov 10. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2710.2010.01212.x. [Epub ahead of print])
3. In Taiwan, a study group desired to evaluate differences in blood plasma concentrations and dietary intake of antioxidants Vitamin A, C, E and carotenoids between 43 healthy Taiwanese subjects and 34 Taiwanese COPD patients. Further, the investigators examined the blood plasma concentrations of white blood cells that are markers of inflammation in the two groups. Their results definitively showed, “Compared to the healthy controls, COPD patients had significantly lower plasma concentrations of vitamins A, C, and E; alpha- and beta-carotene; and total carotenoids but significantly higher endogenous and H2O2-induced white blood cell DNA damage [inflammation]. Intakes of vitamin C and several carotenoids were lower in the COPD group, and COPD patients consumed significantly fewer vegetables and fruits than did the healthy controls. In conclusion, COPD patients in Taiwan have lower levels of antioxidative nutrients in their plasma and diet than do healthy people. Intakes of vitamin C and carotenoids are correlated with dietary habits.” (Lin YC, et al. Comparison of plasma and intake levels of antioxidant nutrients in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and healthy people in Taiwan: a case-control study. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2010;19(3):393-401.)
4. At the annual conference of the American College of Chest Physicians earlier this month, a paper was presented by a group of researchers analyzing the dietary habits of 20 COPD patients for antioxidant content. They discovered that antioxidant deficiency was common (55% were deficient for Vitamin A, 45% for Vitamin C, 70% for Vitamin D, 90% for Vitamin E, and 25% were deficient in trace mineral selenium). The researchers further noted that the male COPD patients in the study who showed deficiencies in Vitamin A, C and D had poorer lung capacity than COPD patients who were not deficient in these antioxidants. (Khan MS, et al. The effect of antioxidant intake on pulmonary function in chronic disease is moderated by gender. Chest 2010; 138: 488A)
Many physicians recommend that COPD patients boost antioxidant levels through adding more antioxidant rich foods to their daily diet. Their primary concern with dietary supplements is that there are no consensus dosage recommendations for daily intake for respiratory support antioxidants at this time.
However, other researchers and practitioners recognize that the volume of pro-oxidant free radicals consumed through cigarette smoke is so significant that adding a few oranges to your daily diet is unlikely to make much of a dent in the imbalance of pro/anti oxidants. This latter group of physicians recommends complementing antioxidant rich foods with antioxidant dietary supplements. Since there are no standard recommended dosage guidelines for antioxidant consumption among those with poor respiratory health at this time, it is wise in our opinion from a safety and efficacy standpoint to consume a broad array of antioxidants in modest dosages rather than consume massive doses of one or two. This is why we incorporated a broad array of the antioxidants most studied in respiratory health studies in our Resplenish formula, www.resplenish.com.
For example, the above studied antioxidants may not be the most potent/effective for reducing inflammation/oxidative stress among those who have respiratory concerns. To wit, the most widely studied antioxidant related to airway inflammation is n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). NAC is actually an essential amino acid that helps the body produce the most abundant antioxidant used in airway tissues, glutathione. Now you’d think that the simple solution would be to just consume glutathione directly but glutathione is not absorbed well as a stand-alone dietary ingredient. Therefore, respiratory researchers often utilize NAC to help the body boost its production of glutathione.
In our opinion, you have the power to rebalance your body’s supply of antioxidants and thereby alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation by:
1. Reduce pro-oxidant molecule intake (i.e. reduce or eliminate cigarette consumption – a massive source of pro-oxidant molecules)
2. Increase anti-oxidant molecule intake (through antioxidant rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, grain cereals, teas, legumes, and nuts - and/or dietary supplements containing antioxidants).
For more information about airway inflammation, food sources of antioxidants, and dietary supplement antioxidant ingredients that are supportive of healthy respiratory function, visit our Resplenish web site by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment