DHAKA: According to a study published in the Journal of Immunology, vitamin E holds greater potential for protecting against bacterial infections like pneumonia, reports thehealthsite.com.

How does vitamin E help?

Vitamin E plays a crucial role in regulating the immune system. It protects the body from bacterial infection that commonly causes pneumonia, says the study. To analyze whether extra vitamin E can actually be helpful, the team of researchers fed older male mice with extra amount of vitamin E, equivalent to about 200 IU (international unit)/day consumed by humans — about 10 times the recommended daily allowance but below the upper limit – before and after they were infected with pneumonia-causing bacteria. (Read: 9 symptoms of pneumonia you should know about)

It was found that the mice with extra vitamin E diet had reduced number of bacterial cells in their lungs. These mice were able to control the infection as efficiently as young mice. When the immune response was compared to the mice that had normal amount of vitamin E, it was found that mice fed extra vitamin E had 1,000 times fewer bacteria in their lungs. They also had two times fewer the number of white blood cells (neutrophils).  Her are 10 other reasons to eat vitamin-E rich foods

Is it effective in humans?

According to co-senior author Simin Nikbin Meydani from Tufts University, US, whether or not vitamin E can help protect people against this type of pneumonia affecting older adults requires more research. However, you can still ensure adequate intake of vitamin E in your diet by including vitamin E rich foods like sunflower seeds, tomatoes, mangoes, and kiwis in your diet. Also, you need to know if you’re vitamin E deficient –here are they symptoms.

This could be especially effective in those above the age of 65-years because according to the researchers they are at a higher risk of suffering from pneumonia and vitamin E could make up for the loss of immune response caused by aging.

BDST: 2057 HRS, JAN 20, 2015