Vitamin E & C Supplements Found to Improve Outcomes For Surgical
Patients
Washington
DC, 26 March 2003
Supplements
of both Vitamin E and Vitamin C can improve outcomes of surgical
patients, according to the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter.
The
medical publication, in its April edition, reports on a study of
600 patients published in the Annals of Surgery.
The
study found that trauma patients who received Vitamin E and Vitamin
C were "less likely to experience organ failure." Patients who received
both vitamins also had shorter stays in intensive care units and
spent less time on a ventilator, the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter
said.
Both
Vitamin E and Vitamin C are considered strong antioxidants. Antioxidants
are believed to be effective by reducing oxidative stress, which
damages cells in organs by producing free radicals, the publication
noted.
Free
radicals are molecules associated with aging and with certain diseases,
including cancer.
The
roles of Vitamin E and Vitamin C as antioxidants have been the subject
of numerous health studies. Supplements of Vitamin E, for example,
were recently credited with reducing the risk of bladder cancer
mortality in a study conducted by the American Cancer Society's
Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance Research.
Source
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