New research suggests that long-term use of vitamin E can cut the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among women smokers, and may even provide similar benefits for those who don't smoke. The data comes from the Women's Health Study, a very large investigation that ended in 2004 and included nearly 40,000 women. Some of the women (all were 45 years of age or older) were randomized to take either 600 mg of vitamin E daily or a placebo every other day while the study lasted. Earlier research had linked vitamin E with a lower risk of COPD, but hadn't been designed to determine whether increasing intake of "E" actually prevents COPD. The investigators, from Cornell University and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, found that taking vitamin E daily reduced the risk of COPD by about 10 percent in both smokers and non-smokers. Future research will explore exactly how vitamin E affects lung tissue and function and will look at whether it also reduces the risk of COPD in men. The findings were presented at the May 2010 conference of the American Thoracic Society.
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