Vitamin Teamwork Helps Smokers

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http://www.orthomed.org/news/abstr4.htm

Vitamin Teamwork Helps Smokers

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The protective effects of vitamins E, C, and beta-carotene

against cancer and other diseases largely depend on teamwork between these

vitamins, especially in smokers, researchers say. The new findings may help to

explain a report published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine that

said heavy smokers with high beta-carotene levels have an increased likelihood

of developing lung cancer.

Dr. George Truscott of Keele University and Christie Hospital in Manchester,

England, found that beta-carotene and other vitamin A compounds (including

lycopene, the substance that colors tomatoes red) actually boost the efficiency

of two other antioxidant vitamins -- C and E. But the researcher and his

colleagues point out that vitamin C levels in the blood of smokers are often

low. This may allow buildup of a potentially damaging form of beta-carotene

known as carotene free radical.

The result is damage to the molecular structure of tissue cells, which can lead

to tumors, particularly in the lungs. Now, in light of their study, Truscott and

colleagues point to a simple preventive remedy for the situation in smokers:

While taking beta-carotene, smokers should also take vitamin C to rid their

bodies of the excess carotene free radicals. " The cooperative antioxidant

properties of vitamins C and E with beta-carotene are much better understood as

a result of this work, " Truscott says. " Such information should have a bearing

on recommendations for nutrient antioxidant intake designed to achieve optimum

disease prevention in smokers and nonsmokers alike. "

 

Journal of the American Chemical Society 1997;119: 621-622

 

 

 

 

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