Certain vitamin E supplements can help to boost the health benefits we feel when we quit smoking, according to new research. In a small study, researchers found that there was an improvement in the blood vessel function which was associated with a gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E, which could mean a decrease in future cardiovascular disease risks by as much as 19 percent. The study recruited smokers to participate in quitting smoking for seven days, so that the inflammation of blood vessels could be measured before and after smoking. There was in increase in vascular function by an average of 2.8 percent after quitting – however, those who took the vitamin E supplement showed an additional 1.5 percent increase. This translates to a 13 percent drop in the risk of heart disease in the future.
While the study was just short term, it does offer promising results for the future. Researchers are already aware that the effects of quitting smoking take several years to take effect, meaning that the risks of cardiovascular disease remain high for some time. The smoking cessation combined with vitamin E supplements could help accelerate this to improve the health of the heart and fight the risks of disease. The supplement used in the study is not the same as the average vitamin E pills we can find in the supermarket. Vitamin E can be found in 8 forms, based on the chemical structure, and the most well known variety is a form known as tocopherols. Researchers in the study used a form known as gamma-tocopherol. The most commonly found form of Vitamin E, and that which we have a dietary requirement for, is the alpha-tocopherol.
Though this form of vitamin E is safe, researchers have stated that longer-term studies would need to take place in order to see if there were any dietary requirements in relation to smoking cessation. Those with a long history of smoking tend to have low vasodilatory responses, meaning that their vascular function was not as effective as those who do not smoke. The vitamin E effects help to reduce the inflammation and increase the function of the blood vessels. While this form of the vitamin is difficult to obtain from low calorie sources, you can boost your diet with soybeans, canola oil, pistachio nuts and peanuts.
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