A new study published online ahead of print in the respiratory journal Thorax showed that healthy women who consumed 600 IU of vitamin E every other day had a 10% lower risk of developing lung disease. [1]
The study examined the past health records of nearly 40,00 women who enrolled in a large, ongoing health study called the Women’s Health Study. The researchers split the 40,000 women into two groups of roughly 20,000 – those who consumed 600 IU of vitamin E every other day, and those who received a placebo (100 mg of aspirin every other day). The mean age, weight, smoking status, alcohol use, multivitamin use and other health factors between the two groups were largely the same (a purposeful selection by the researchers to eliminate variables that might skew the study results).
During 10 years of follow up from study enrollment, 760 women receiving vitamin E were diagnosed with lung disease. By way of comparison, 846 of the study participants receiving the placebo were diagnosed with a chronic respiratory condition. From this data, the study authors concluded that those receiving vitamin E had a 10% lower risk of developing lung disease.
As an aside, the researchers pointed out that the strongest contributing health factor in developing lung disease among the study participants was cigarette smoking. Smokers in the study had 4.2 higher odds of developing lung disease than non-smokers. This is not a novel finding as other studies have produced similar results but we offer it as a reminder of the strong correlation between cigarette smoking and lung disease.
In addressing the implications of the lower lung disease risk from consumption of vitamin E, the study authors did not speculate on the mechanisms involved but did relate the findings of other vitamin E/COPD studies, “Observational studies investigating the association of dietary intake and pulmonary function consistently report that higher intake of nutrients with antioxidant properties is associated with better pulmonary outcomes, but causal inferences are limited by concerns about confounding and other biases. Studies comparing patients with COPD with healthy individuals report lower plasma and peripheral skeletal muscle vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) concentrations in patients and a lower risk of death from respiratory disease with higher serum alpha-tocopherol concentration, but whether nutrition contributed to the onset of COPD is less clear.”
In other words, even though previous studies have hinted at vitamin E’s potential value for people who already have lung disease, there is not yet overwhelming, definitive evidence of its effectiveness. Further, the Thorax study was conducted on healthy women not COPD patients and therefore one cannot necessarily extend vitamin E’s benefits to those who already have respiratory disease.
With that in mind, however, there is a strong and growing body of evidence linking depressed levels of antioxidants (including vitamin E) with oxidative stress and inflammation in humans and laboratory animals with diagnosed respiratory conditions. And many of these studies demonstrate the power of boosting antioxidant blood levels in lowering oxidative stress and inflammation (whether through diet or dietary supplements). For additional articles we've written on antioxidants for healthy respiratory function, type in the keyword "antioxidant" in the search box in the left hand column of this page.
The dosage level consumed by the women in the Thorax study, 600 IU every other day, is well within the tolerable upper daily limits as reported by the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. For more information about vitamin E and potential counter-indications, click here to visit the aforementioned NIH information page on vitamin E. Please also consult your physician to determine whether adding vitamin E to your daily regimen is appropriate.
[1] Agler AH, et al. Randomized vitamin E supplementation and risk of chronic lung disease in the Women’s Health Study. Thorax. 2011 January 21. [Epub ahead of print]
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