Effective Vitamins for Smokers

Cigarette smoking can lead to devastating effects, cutting a smokers life expectancy by 10 to 12 years, according to SmokingEffects.org. It is recognized as the leading source of both preventable and premature death worldwide. Smoking also depletes the body of essential vitamins. While quitting is the best option for preventing smoking-related disease, taking certain vitamins can help combat negative effects of smoking.

Vitamin E

• One of the first lines of defense in human lung tissue against destructive smoke is vitamin E, states Maret Traber, a professor of nutrition at Oregon State University. If adequate amounts of vitamin E are present in the body, the protective antioxidant can interact with peroxyl radicals created by cigarette smoke and prevent damage of lung membranes. Vitamin E can turn into a destructive radical itself, however, without ample levels of vitamin C.

Vitamin C

• Vitamin C, an antioxidant, allows vitamin E to remain in or return to a non-radical form and continue its protective role, according to study results from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Overall conclusions of the study determined vitamin C supplements protected plasma levels and function of vitamin E, resulting in about the same level of antioxidant protection for smokers as for nonsmokers.

Vitamin B6 and Methionine

• Sufficient amounts of amino acids and vitamin B6 in the body can reduce the risk of lung cancer by half, even in smokers, according to researcher Paul Brennan of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Vitamin B6 helps the body break down protein and preserve red blood cells, in addition to executing other bodily functions. Methionine aids vitamin B metabolism. A study funded by the World Cancer Research Fund concluded people in the uppermost group for B vitamin levels had a 56 percent less chance of incurring lung cancer than those in the lowest group. People with the highest methionine levels had a 48 percent reduced risk.

Antioxidants

• Antioxidants aid in cellular damage prevention. Additional antioxidant supplements such as folic acid and thiamin may combat some of the effects of smoking.

Multivitamin

• Daily multivitamins contain nutrients supporting proper bodily function. When choosing a multivitamin, though, smokers should avoid products containing high levels of beta-carotene. Although an essential component of a healthy diet for non-smokers, beta-carotene increases the risk of lung cancer among smokers and former-smokers.