Vitamin E Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin E, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, antioxidants.

Cigarette smoking increases human vitamin E requirements as estimated by plasma deuterium-labeled CEHC.

Leonard SW, Bruno RS, Ramakrishnan R, Bray T, Traber MG

Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.

Cigarette smoking (CS) is a well-described oxidant burden in humans. We hypothesized that CS would accelerate alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) utilization leaving less for metabolite (CEHC) production. After labeled alpha-T consumption (75 mg each of d(3)-RRR-alpha-TAc and d(6)-all-rac-alpha-TAc) by smokers and nonsmokers (n = 10/group), CS increased alpha-T disappearance and decreased plasma and urinary CEHCs. Plasma d(3)/d(6)-alpha-T ratios were approximately 1.4 during supplementation and approximately 2 from days 5 to 17. d(3)/d(6)-alpha-CEHC ratios were on average 0.29 +/- 0.05, confirming that all-rac-alpha-tocopherol is metabolized more efficiently. CEHC may be a good marker of vitamin E status, and smokers may have an increased vitamin E requirement.

Published 8 March 2005 in Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1031: 357-60.
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