August 6, 2003 – Vitamins C and E may protect non-smokers from some of the more harmful effects of second-hand smoke.
A study1 small group of 67 non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke compared the protection offered by vitamin C supplements to that offered by a combination of vitamin C, vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), an antioxidant powerful. This protection has been assessed by the levels in the body of F2-isoprostanes, a substance in tobacco smoke that could damage cells and promote clogging of arteries.
The subjects who took vitamin C, vitamin E and ALA had 12% less F2-isoprostanes in their body than the control group. The reduction for the group that took only vitamin C was 11.4%.
The damage caused by F2-isoprostanes is oxidative in nature, which probably explains the protective effect of ALA and vitamins C and E, all well-known antioxidants. The antioxidant action of vitamin E, in particular, is particularly pronounced in the respiratory tract2.
The study, which lasted only two months, could not determine whether the supplements reduced the risk of non-smokers of developing cancer or cardiovascular disease, but the researchers still consider the results to be very interesting.
The researchers deliberately excluded subjects who consumed a lot of fruits and vegetables from their study, so that they could be sure that the observed effects really came from the supplements and not from the dietary vitamins.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters; August 6, 2003.
1. Dietrich M, Block G, Benowitz NL, Morrow JD, Hudes M, Jacob P, Norkus EP, Packer L. Vitamin C supplementation decreases oxidative stress biomarker f2-isoprostanes in plasma of nonsmokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.Nutr Cancer 2003; 45 (2): 176-84.
2. Pizzorno Joseph E. Jr, Murray Michael T. Textbook of Natural Medicine. Churchill Livingstone, New York, USA, 1999.
