Other Benefits
(See Table 8 for a summary of the following studies.)
A serious complication in pregnancy is pre-eclampsia, characterized by high blood pressure in the mother, often accompanied by edema (fluid retention) and proteinuria (high protein content in urine). More than 40% of physician-induced, premature deliveries are due to pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia may lead to full eclampsia, when coma or convulsions occur during or immediately after pregnancy. Biochemical tests point to excessive free radical activity as a possible underlying cause of the conditions.
In the study by Yanik, et al, the serum of 18 Turkish women with pre-eclampsia, 15 with eclampsia, and 25 healthy controls were measured to determine vitamin E and malondialdehyde (MDA, an index of lipid oxidation damage) levels. Compared to the healthy women, those with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia had lower vitamin E and higher MDA levels. In fact, MDA was inversely associated with vitamin E, and directly associated with blood pressure and serum uric acid concentrations.
In the study by Chappell, et al, 283 women during their 16th to 22nd week of pregnancy who were diagnosed as having increased risk of pre-eclampsia were randomly given either vitamin C (1000 mg/day) plus vitamin E (400 IU/day, "natural-source") or placebo. Blood pressure, blood, and urine tests were taken every month to monitor indicators of pre-eclampsia and placental dysfunction. At the end of the trial, the following was found:
- Supplementation with vitamins C and E decreased a biochemical ratio indicating placental dysfunction by 21% compared to placebo.
- Pre-eclampsia occurred in 11 (8%) of 141 women in the vitamin group, and 24 (17%) of 142 women in the placebo group.
- The vitamin supplementers who completed the study had a relative risk of 24% compared to those taking placebo.
Thus, for women at high-risk for pre-eclampsia, vitamin C and vitamin E supplementation may be beneficial.
Yanik, F., Amanvermez, R. Yanik, A., Celik, C., and Kokcu, A. Pre-Eclampsia and Eclampsia Associated with Increased Lipid Peroxidation and Decreased Serum Vitamin E Levels. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Vol. 64, pp.27-33, 1999.
Chappell, L., Seed, P., Briley, A. et al. Effect of Antioxidants on the Occurrence of Pre-Eclampsia in Women at Increased Risk: A Randomised Trial. Lancet. Vol. 354, pp.810-6, 1999.
Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is energetic enough to generate free radicals such as singlet oxygen, superoxide, peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals in the skin. Unchecked, this may lead to more serious damage, inflammation, and even skin cancer. Sunburn is the uncomfortable result of free-radical induced inflammation due to excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and accumulated damage over a lifetime increases the risk of skin cancer. While some studies suggest topical application of antioxidants helps reduce such oxidative damage to the skin, the present study from the University of Munchen, Germany, is the first to examine whether taking antioxidants as a supplement also helps.
Twenty healthy white subjects without skin cancer were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to take either vitamin C (2000 mg/day) plus vitamin E (1000 IU/day, natural-source "d-alpha-tocopherol") or placebo. Using lamps which could administer precise amounts of ultraviolet radiation, the researchers tested all subjects before and after 8 days of supplementation to find the minimum level of radiation needed to induce sunburn. The level was termed the minimal erythema dose (MED). Before supplementation, the MED of both supplement and placebo groups was similar. After supplementation for 8 days, the vitamin group had a significant increase of MED from 80 to 96.5 mJ/cm^2, whereas in the placebo group, it decreased from 80 to 68.5 mJ/cm^2. That is, taking the vitamin supplements appeared to make a subject more resistant to getting sunburned, whereas those in the placebo group became more susceptible (possibly due to an accumulated effect by the first exposure at the study's beginning). The researchers also measured blood flow at the irradiation site and found significant decreases in the vitamin group after supplementation.
The authors conclude, "Combined vitamins C and E reduce the sunburn reaction, which might indicate a consequent reduced risk of later sequelae of ultraviolet radiation-induced skin damage."
Eberlein-Konig, B., Placzek, M., Przybilla, B. Protective Effect Against Sunburn of Combined Systemic Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) and d-alpha-Tocopherol (Vitamin E). Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Vol. 38, pp.45-8, 1998.
In a study from the University of Dusseldorf,Germany, whether oral supplements of carotenes and/or vitamin E effectively protected against sunburn was tested. Twenty healthy subjects were given either a supplement containing 25 mg of total carotenoids (alpha- and beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and lutein) alone, or the carotene supplement plus 500 IU of vitamin E (natural-source "RRR-alpha-tocopherol") daily. All subjects served as their own controls, since the same ultraviolet light exposure experiments were done before and after supplementation. Again, special lamps were used to determine the minimal erythema dose (MED) at the beginning of the study. At 4, 8, 12, and 14 weeks after supplementation, various multiples of the MED were applied. Blood and skin factors were measured, such as the concentration of carotenoids in the skin and blood, and redness response of the skin (erythema), the sign of inflammation. Serum levels of beta-carotene and vitamin E rose in those supplemented. After 8 weeks, erythema was significantly reduced. Moreover, those who took both vitamin E and carotenes had more reduction of erythema than those who took only carotene alone.
The authors conclude, "The antioxidants used in this study provided protection against erythema in humans and may be useful for diminishing sensitivity to ultraviolet light."
Stahl, W., Heinrich, U., Jungmann, H., Sies, H., Tronnier, H. Carotenoids and Carotenoids Plus Vitamin E Protect Against Ultraviolet Light-Induced Erythema in Humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol. 71, pp.795-8, 2000.
The leading causes of death of trauma patients are infectious complications and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, in which major organs start to malfunction. The unusual stresses sustained by the body during traumatic injuries induces excessive free radical damage, and using antioxidants to lessen the oxidative stress may help save lives. Specifically, studies indicate levels of glutathione and selenium are greatly diminished in trauma patients.
In this study, 18 trauma victims were randomly assigned to a control or supplement group. The supplement group received N-acetylcysteine (an amino acid which is a precursor for glutathione), selenium, vitamin C, and vitamin E for 7 days. The supplementation began within 8 hours after trauma. Compared with controls, the supplement group had fewer infectious complications (8 in five patents vs 18 in eight patients) and fewer organ dysfunction (0 vs 9). The absence of organ dysfunction in supplemented patients was notable, since statistically, at least 9 in the supplement group were expected to develop organ dysfunction based on their injuries. No deaths in either group occurred.
"We conclude that these preliminary data may support a role for the use of this antioxidant mixture to decrease the incidence of multiorgan dysfunction syndrome and infectious complications in the severely injured patient. This remains to be confirmed in larger trials."
Porter, J., Ivatury, R., Azimuddin, K., Swami, R. Antioxidant Therapy in the Prevention of Organ Dysfunction Syndrome and Infectious Complications after Trauma: Early Results of a Prospective Randomized Study. American Surgeon. Vol. 65, pp.478-83, 1999.