Administration of 50 mg per day of vitamin E decreased the risk of pneumonia in elderly male smokers by 72 percent after they quit smoking.

‘The incidence of pneumonia was 72 percent lower in the vitamin E participants who had quit smoking.’

For the study, Harri Hemila from University of Helsinki, Finland, explored whether vitamin E supplementation might influence the risk of community-acquired pneumonia. 




He analysed the data of the randomised trial (Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention [ATBC] Study) which was conducted in Finland and included male smokers aged from 50 to 69 years.
The age when the participant had started to smoke significantly modified the effect of vitamin E on pneumonia.
Vitamin E decreased the risk of pneumonia by 35 percent in 7,469 participants who had started smoking at a later age, at 21 years or older, whereas the vitamin had no apparent effect on pneumonia for those who had started to smoke at a younger age.
Among the 7,469 participants who started to smoke at a later age, vitamin E supplementation reduced the incidence of pneumonia by 69 percent in a subgroup of 2,216 light smokers who exercised in their leisure time.
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The vitamin did not have a significant effect on participants who smoked heavily or had not been exercising.
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Source-IANS