People who get more vitamin E in their diet may be less likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an analysis suggests.
The findings suggest that vitamin E supplementation may help prevent COPD, but the researchers note that more research is needed to confirm this.
the study “Association between dietary vitamin E intake and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease events among US adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2013-2018“teeth, The forefront of nutrition.
Vitamin E plays an important role in preventing cell damage
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that plays an important role in preventing damage to the body’s cells. This nutrient is naturally abundant in foods such as nuts, seeds, vegetable oils and green leafy vegetables, and is also commonly added to certain fortified foods such as breakfast cereals.
Some studies suggest that high intakes of vitamin E may reduce the risk of certain lung diseases, including asthma, lung cancer, and upper respiratory tract infections, but these data are not conclusive.
Additionally, a US clinical trial of over 38,000 women showed that increased intake of vitamin E was associated with a reduced risk of COPD, although evidence of this potential relationship across gender, age groups, education levels and ethnicities is limited.
To learn more, a team of Chinese scientists analysed data from 2013 to 2018 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a US database that collects information on individuals’ health and dietary habits.
The analysis included data from 4,706 adults (age 20 years or older). More than half were male (52.3%), non-Hispanic white (65.4%), and married or living with a partner (62.1%). The majority had completed high school or higher education (63.3%). A total of 155 (3.3%) had COPD.
Preliminary evaluation showed that the mean vitamin E intake in people with COPD was significantly lower than in people without the disease (8.72 mg per day vs. 7.10 mg per day). Most people were getting well below the recommended daily intake of 15 mg for adults.
The researchers divided participants into three equal groups (lowest, medium, and highest) based on their daily intake of vitamin E. They then performed statistical tests to compare the relative risk of COPD between each group. These tests took into account potential influencing factors such as age, sex, marital status, ethnicity, education level, smoking, and cholesterol levels.
The group with the highest intake of vitamin E had a significantly reduced risk of COPD
The results showed that those with the highest intake had a significantly reduced risk of COPD by 43% compared to those with the lowest intake. Those with moderate intakes of vitamin E also tended to have a lower risk of COPD than those with the lowest intakes, but this difference was not statistically significant, meaning that it could mathematically be due to chance.
Further statistical and subgroup analyses showed that a higher intake of vitamin E was associated with a lower risk of developing COPD.
“Results indicate that vitamin E intakes among US adults are well below recommended levels and that higher vitamin E intakes are inversely correlated with the incidence of COPD,” the scientists wrote.
Based on these findings, vitamin E supplementation “may play an important role in the prevention of COPD,” the team writes.
However, the researchers cautioned that their analysis looked at correlation rather than causation, and therefore more research is needed to verify whether vitamin E supplements are actually an effective way to reduce COPD risk.
