Smokers May Need Additional Vitamins

Category: Misc.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that individuals who smoke cigarettes might have an increased requirement for Vitamin E and Vitamin C.

The study enrolled smokers and non-smokers and compared the turnover rate of Vitamin E in the blood. The study also measured ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in the blood as well as markers of oxidative stress.

Vitamin E and Vitamin C are two of the most significant water-soluble antioxidants at work in the human body. Vitamin E is recycled by Vitamin C in the body. When Vitamin E uses its antioxidant power to quench free radicals, it becomes ‘oxidized’. Vitamin C then reduces the Vitamin E, or undoes the oxidation step.

The study found that smokers have an increased oxidation of Vitamin E, and also that the average levels of Vitamin C in the blood are not enough to help un-oxidize the Vitamin E that has quenched free radicals. The study also discovered that the lower the levels of Vitamin C in the blood, the greater the increase in oxidized Vitamin E.

Once Vitamin E is oxidized and not recycled by Vitamin C, it becomes useless against oxidative damage. It is well known that cigarettes increase the levels of oxidative damage in the body due to high levels of free radicals that are generated. Therefore, the recommendation for smokers is to increase intakes of Vitamin E and Vitamin C to help decrease oxidative damage in the body due to cigarettes.

Posted by on November 24, 2008 10:00 AM