Drink or Two a Day May Help Lungs(oups: those told to consume 10000 IUs da...),Health

All the patients had smoked cigarettes for at least 11 years.

Lung performance tests were conducted at the start of the study, at the two-month mark (when all vitamin supplementation was stopped), and six months following vitamin cessation. A fifth group of 50 healthy non-smokers who took no vitamin supplementation was also similarly examined for lung function.

Although none of the smokers achieved lung health comparable to that of the non-smoking group, Bennoor's team found that vitamin supplementation did significantly improve lung function in all four smoking groups.

No one vitamin appeared to positively impact lung health any more than another, but the group taking all three vitamins seemed to derive the biggest benefit.

However, six months after going off a vitamin regimen, the lung health of all the smokers reverted back to levels that were below those seen after two months of supplementation.

It's possible that antioxidant supplementation might help improve lung function, the team speculated, but such improvements are not retained when supplementation stops.

Dr. Neil Schachter, professor of pulmonary medicine and medical director of the Respiratory Care Department at Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City, was a bit cautious on the results of both studies.

"These are interesting studies," he said. "But, first of all, there is simply not that much literature on alcohol and lung function. So, yes, there is this thought that one or two glasses of alcohol is good for your heart and too much is not good for your health in general. And I guess their findings go along with that general statement. But, nevertheless, I'd say the jury is still out."

"On the other hand, there's a lot
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