Vitamin E Protects Lungs from Pollution
In several recent studies, researchers evaluated the role of the gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E in protecting the lungs from the harmful effects of ozone, the primary irritant in smog. Exposure to ozone from smog causes Inflammation of the airways, development of mucus, coughing, wheezing and breathing problems. Particularly sensitive to smog are asthma patients, which number over 20 million in the United States. The number of asthma patients doubled over the last 20 years and has been increasing mostly in children. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that chronic exposure to ozone increases the risk of dying from lung disease.
Researchers evaluated the effects of gamma-tocopherol supplementation in both animals and humans. In animals they tested ozone-laden air. In some studies, the animals were first exposed to endotoxins, a family of bacterial poisons that can trigger fever and inflammation in both animals and people. In the animal studies, gamma-tocopherol supplementation prevented almost every respiratory symptom that ozone worsened including mucus production, nasal allergy symptoms and asthma.
This research also shed light on gamma-tocopherol’s mechanism of protection. With allergic airway inflammation, eosinophils — a type of white blood cell — infiltrates the tissue just beneath the surface of airways. In endotoxin-treated animals, the inflammatory white blood cells neutrophils infiltrate the tissue just below the inner surfaces of airways. In animals exposed to high concentrations of endotoxin, airborne concentrations of one part per million ozone boosted mucus production in the animals’ airways two to five-fold and triggered a roughly 10-fold buildup of neutrophils in the airway tissues. In those same animals, gamma-tocopherol provided significant protection. Less mucus was produced and inflammation was reduced dramatically. Initial studies in humans with a high gamma-tocopherol formulation showed similar effects on the markers of inflammation.
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: These studies confirm what other studies have shown before. Vitamin E in its natural form is associated with major benefits. For protection against smog, and in people with asthma exposed to ozone and other pollutants, a vitamin E supplement rich in gamma-tocopherol (providing 500 mg per day) can help support lung function.
References
1. Jerrett M, Burnett RT, Pope CA 3rd, Ito K, Thurston G, Krewski D, Shi Y, Calle E, Thun. Long-Term Ozone Exposure and Mortality. N Engl J Med. Mar 2009;360:1085.
2. Wagner JG, Jiang Q, Harkema JR, Ames BN, Illek B, Roubey RA, Peden DB. Gamma-tocopherol prevents airway eosinophilia and mucous cell hyperplasia in experimentally induced allergic rhinitis and asthma. Clin Exp Allergy. 2008 Mar;38:501-11.
3. Wagner JG, Jiang Q, Harkema JR, Illek B, Patel DD, Ames BN, Peden DB. Ozone enhancement of lower airway allergic inflammation is prevented by gamma-tocopherol. Free Radic Biol Med. 2007 Oct 15;43(8):1176-88
