Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rates have been steadily rising over the last 2-3 decades despite steadily decreasing rates of smoking in the general population. COPD rates have further increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, and drastically increase all-cause mortality not only from lung failure buy from cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, cancer, etc. As such new treatments are urgently needed. The study below demonstrates that higher vitamin E intake may protect from the increased all-cause mortality seen in COPD patients. While the proposed mechanism of action is, again, the known antioxidant effects of vitamin E the real mechanism of action probably has more to do with the ability of vitamin E to decrease the synthesis of the highly inflammatory PUFA metabolites known as prostaglandins and leukotrienes. The anti-estrogenic effects of vitamin E probably also play a role, as estrogen is known to exacerbate COPD and some studies have even demonstrates a causative effects of COPD by estrogen de-novo. The effect was dose-dependent, which suggests doses higher than the puny RDA would be needed for optimal effects. While the study did not state this directly, the authors discuss the protective effects of other anti-oxidants such as vitamin C in respiratory conditions such as COVID-19, which suggests that vitamin E may be protective in COVID-19 as well, which has already been confirmed by human studies.
“…For this study, we utilized the NHANES database, which is rich in content, scientific, and reliable. Previous studies have found that VE intake is positively associated with lung function25 and negatively associated with the risk of COPD.23 Our study confirmed that dietary VE intake was also inversely associated with all-cause and CLRD deaths in COPD, with a significant dose-response relationship through a generalized additive model. There was no significant correlation with CVD death in COPD patients. COPD is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and healthcare consumption worldwide,29 which is caused by exposure to inhaled toxic particles, especially tobacco smoke and pollutants.30 In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to a wide range of factors that increase the risk of COPD development and progression throughout the life course, including early lung development and infection.1 Dietary factors might modulate the effects of adverse environmental exposures or genetic predisposition on the lungs, but may also have direct (protective or harmful) effects on biological processes involved in lung function, disease development and outcome.31–33 Vitamins are a group of organic compounds that are essential to the physiological functioning of the body. Vitamin content has a positive significance in the development of the lungs and already plays a role in the development of the foetal lungs during pregnancy.34,35 At the same time, vitamins, as the main dietary nutrients, are the regulatory factors of immune response, and their influence on human immunity is crucial.36 Pulmonary respiratory infection in childhood has an important influence on the trajectory of pulmonary function changes in adults and can increase the prevalence of COPD.37 Dietary interventions early in life may help lung function remain stable throughout life. What’s more, in a randomised trial, the role of vitamin C in preventing acute respiratory infections (ARI) was stronger in men and middle-income countries compared with adult women and high-income countries, respectively.38 During COVID-19, a controlled study confirmed that supplementation with 1 g/d vitamin C reduced symptoms and shortened disease duration, thereby improving recovery rates.39“
