Smokers May Not Benefit from Antioxidants

Smokers May Not Benefit from Antioxidants

BETHESDA, Md.--Antioxidants may not decrease a smoker's risk for heart disease after all, according to one study. Vitamins C and E have long been considered to reduce atherosclerosis [the build-up of plaque in the arteries], but some researchers believe this will not help lessen the detrimental effects of smoking.

Published in the June issue of The Journal of the American College of Nutrition, the study concluded that free radicals released while smoking oxidizes LDL ["bad" cholesterol], leading to arterial hardening. Thirty 20-something, short-term smokers [half-a-pack a day for less than five years] were asked to continue smoking while taking one of four daily regimens for eight weeks: one gram of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, both vitamins or placebo. Researchers found that vitamin E was somewhat beneficial, whereas vitamin C did not alter LDL at all. For additional information, visit www.ajcn.org.

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