BACKGROUND:
Cigarette smoking generates reactive oxidant species and contributes to systemic oxidative stress, which plays a role in the pathophysiology of chronic diseases. Nutrients with antioxidant properties, including vitamin E and selenium, are proposed to reduce systemic oxidative burden and thus to mitigate the negative health effects of reactive oxidant species.
OBJECTIVE:
Our objective was to determine whether long-term supplementation with vitamin E and/or selenium reduces oxidative stress in smokers, as measured by urine 8-iso-prostaglandin F2-alpha (8-iso-PGF2ฮฑ).
DESIGN:
We measured urine 8-iso-PGF2ฮฑ with competitive enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) in 312 male current smokers after 36 months of intervention in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of vitamin E (400IU/d all rac-ฮฑ-tocopheryl acetate) and/or selenium (200ยตg/d L-selenomethionine). We used linear regression to estimate the effect of intervention on urine 8-iso-PGF2ฮฑ, with adjustments for age and race.
RESULTS:
Compared to placebo, vitamin E alone lowered urine 8-iso-PGF2ฮฑ by 21% (p=0.02), there was no effect of combined vitamin E and selenium (intervention arm lower by 9%; p=0.37) or selenium alone (intervention arm higher by 8%; p=0.52).
CONCLUSIONS:
Long-term vitamin E supplementation decreases urine 8-iso-PGF2ฮฑ among male cigarette smokers, but we observed little to no evidence for an effect of selenium supplementation, alone or combined with vitamin E.
Copyright ยฉ 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Alpha-tocopherol; Antioxidant nutrients; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cigarette smoking; Isoprostanes; Lipid peroxidation; Lung function; Oxidative stress; Randomized controlled trial; Selenium; Vitamin E