20 June 2011
According to a new US study, daily supplementation with vitamin E may reduce the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by about 10%.
In a randomized controlled trial (Women’s Health Study) that ended in 2004, data from 38,597 women,
45 years and older, receiving either vitamin E supplements at a dose of 600 IU every other day plus aspirin at a dose of 100 mg every other day, or a placebo were analyzed. Over the course of the ten-year study, 760 new cases of chronic lung disease in the recipients of vitamin E were documented – compared with 846 cases in the recipients of the placebo (1). This was equivalent to a 10% decrease in the risk of developing chronic lung disease, which was not affected by the smoking status of the individuals.
The researchers noted that the oxidant/ antioxidant balance in lung tissue is hypothesized to contribute to the occurrence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); furthermore, they pointed out that observational studies consistently showed that a high status of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, associated with lower risk of COPD and asthma. COPD can cause coughing that produces large amounts of mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and other symptoms; cigarette smoking is the leading cause.
1 July 2013
A new genetic study from the UK reports that there is a clear causal link between low blood concentrations of vitamin D and the development of hypertension.
7 May 2015
A new meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials incorporating 916 subjects assessed the effect of beta-glucan supplementation on subject suffering chronically elevated levels of cholesterol in their blood (hypercholesterolemia) was conducted by Zhu et al. The pooled data showed beta glucan supplementation significantly lowered the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in these subjects, though no differences in HDL-cholesterol, blood triglycerides and glucose levels were observed. The results demonstrate that oat beta-glucans supplemented in the diet under the guidance of a doctor can provide an alternative treatment strategy to statins or stanols/sterols to enable normalization of blood cholesterol levels in subject with hypercholesteroleamia. Oat beta glucan is derived directly from milled oats, and hence can be considered a natural alternative without significant side effects.
14 November 2016
