Vit E no impact on asthma
23 August 2004

Vitamin E supplements are not particularly beneficial for people with asthma, concluded scientists this week.

An Asthma UK-funded study set out to discover whether taking vitamin E could improve symptoms in adults with mild to moderate asthma.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant occurring naturally in foods including nuts, vegetable oils and green leafy vegetables. Antioxidants can help to protect the body's immune system. Previous studies have shown that people with higher levels of the vitamin in their bodies are less likely to have asthma. For example, one study suggested that vitamin E and vitamin C together did have a beneficial effect on asthma symptoms. However, this research was the first to look at vitamin E alone.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham recorded symptoms in 72 adults aged 16-60 with asthma. Half of the group received a daily 500g vitamin E supplement for six weeks, while the other half were given an identical placebo. Neither group knew which was which.

At the end of the period, results for both groups showed no difference between those who had been taking vitamins and those who had been given placebos. The scientists concluded that there were no health benefits for people with asthma in taking vitamin E supplements.

Lead researcher Dr Andrew Fogarty proposed a number of reasons why these result seem to conflict with previous studies showing benefits of taking vitamin E: that supplements may only work in those who have a low dietary vitamin E intake; that lower incidence of symptoms in people with high levels of vitamin E may be linked to other factors in their lifestyle or diet; and that vitamin E may need to be taken with vitamin C for it to be most effective.

The research was published in the journal Thorax.