Antioxidents Shown to Improve Lung Function

According to a http://www.healthmall.com/newsletter.cfm... Vitamin C and Vitamin E may help to improve pulmonary function in asthmatics. The double blind study, conducted by researchers at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Medicine, indicates that pulmonary function improved in those who took the two vitamin supplements when compared with those who took a placebo.

Dr. Carol Trenga and Dr. Jane Koenig authored the report which shows that functioning after exposure to two common pollutants, ozone and sulfur dioxide improved after treatment with the vitamins. The study, which was conducted over a five week period, monitored pulmonary function in 17 asthmatic volunteers, who took 400 I.U. of Vitamin E and 500 mg.of Vitamin C on a daily basis. Improvements ranged from minor to a significant 5% improvement in peak expiratory flow after exposure to sulphur dioxide and ozone.

Dr.Trenga explained that,"vitamins E, which is fat soluble, and C, which is water soluble, complement one another, helping increase the potential to reduce oxidative damage in the lungs." The research confirms what fitness and health food experts have known for years. They have long believed that antioxidents have a positive effect on breathing, and with this research, the link is better established and understood.

The medical evidence from the preliminary study results suggest that these findings could have applications beyond those for the asthma sufferer. Patients with emphysema might show improved pulmonary functioning with vitamin treatment. Other's as well, such as those who work around pollutants, and others who are in high risk areas, might also benefit.

The research, offers hope to people searching for a low risk, inexpensive way to improve their pulmonary functioning. Of course, this information should be discussed with your physician before implementing any plan of treatment. The material presented here is for informational purposes only. Other research is being done on this same topic, and the results presented here are not conclusive and should not be considered medical advice. It does however, indicate that researchers are finding that traditional herbal and vitamin treatments do have a basis in scientific and medical fact.

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