Smoking, exercise influence Vitamin E’s effect on pneumonia risk
February 18th, 2011 - 1:44 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Feb 18 (ANI): Vitamin E supplementation may decrease or increase, or may have no effect, on the risk of pneumonia depending on the level of smoking and leisure time exercise, according to a study.
In laboratory studies, vitamin E has influenced the immune system. In several animal studies vitamin E protected against viral and bacterial infections. However, the importance of vitamin E on human infections is not known.
Dr. Harri Hemila and Professor Jaakko Kaprio, of the University of Helsinki, Finland, studied the effect of vitamin E on the risk of pneumonia in the large randomized trial (Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study), which was conducted in Finland between 1985-1993. There were 898 cases of pneumonia among 29,133 participants of the study.
Vitamin E had no overall effect on pneumonia risk. However, vitamin E decreased pneumonia risk by 69 percent among participants who had the least exposure to smoking and exercised during leisure time. In contrast, vitamin E increased pneumonia risk by 79 percent among those who had the highest exposure to smoking and did not exercise.
Over half of the participants were outside of these two subgroups and vitamin E did not affect their risk of pneumonia. Thus, the beneficial and harmful effects of vitamin E are restricted to fairly small parts of the population.
The researchers concluded the role of vitamin E in susceptibility to pneumonia in physically active nonsmokers warrants further study.
The study has been published in Clinical Epidemiology. (ANI)
- Vitamin E may extend lifespan of certain men - Jan 21, 2011
- 'Anti-ageing' vitamin could weaken your bones - Mar 06, 2012
- Scientists uncover 'dark side' of beta-carotene - May 03, 2012
- Multiple health benefits of eating pistachios - May 21, 2010
- Vitamin A makes breastfeeding with HIV more risky: Study - Aug 27, 2010
- Antioxidants in pecans 'good for your heart' - Feb 25, 2011
- Popping vitamin pills can lead to skin cancer - Sep 28, 2010
- Vitamin supplements 'up skin cancer risk' - Sep 28, 2010
- Zinc lozenge, the sweet pill for common cold? - Jul 27, 2011
- Natural vitamin E protects brain cells after stroke - Jul 06, 2011
- Eating foods rich in vitamin E 'lowers dementia risk' - Jul 13, 2010
- Genetic defect linked to vitamin A deficiency in women - Nov 18, 2009
- Vit D insufficiency high in patients with early Parkinson disease - Mar 15, 2011
- Vitamin E 'cuts Alzheimer's risk' - Jul 08, 2010
- Vitamin E may boost TB risk in male smokers with high vitamin C intake - Feb 22, 2008
Tags: alpha tocopherol, bacterial infections, beta carotene, cancer prevention study, cases of pneumonia, effects of vitamin e, exercise influence, harmful effects of vitamin e, harri, human infections, jaakko, laboratory studies, leisure time, participants of the study, pneumonia, randomized trial, time exercise, university of helsinki, university of helsinki finland, vitamin e