Vitamin E can help protect people from asthma and allergies, according to a new British study.

Scientists at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom studied 2,633 adults who had symptoms of asthma or were allergic to such substances as grass pollen and cat fur. The study found that the adults who consumed Vitamin E had fewer antibodies in their system that were related to allergic responses. Results of the study, which was conducted in cooperation with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, were published in a November issue of The Lancet, a leading British scientific and medical research publication.

Test patients in the study were aged from 18 to 70 years. High levels of antibodies found in patients corresponded with symptoms of asthma and allergies, while test subjects who had the highest levels of Vitamin E in their blood had the least amount of such antibodies. The study was started after previous studies on animals had demonstrated that Vitamin E inhibited allergic responses in the animals.

In the study of the adults, Dr. Andrew Fogarty and three colleagues at the University of Nottingham found that dietary Vitamin E also had a "beneficial effect" on the incidence of asthma and allergies. Fogarty and his team of researchers called for further studies on the role of Vitamin E and its use in lowering or preventing allergies.

Exposure to the many free radical generating chemicals in cigarette smoke may be behind some cases of cataracts and macular degeneration. Experiments in rats have shown that exposure to tobacco smoke for one hour per day leads to a build-up of calcium and iron in the lens of the eye, leading to increased growth of cells and cataracts. The process was prevented by natural vitamin e (alpha-tocopherol).

Vitamin E, vitamin A and two other antioxidants--lutein and zeaxanthin--have been found in the eyes' lenses, suggesting they may help protect against the formation of cataracts. Analyzing both healthy and cataract-clouded human lenses removed during surgery, researchers found significant levels of vitamins E and A, lutein and zeaxanthin. These latter two compounds are carotenoids--plant pigments related to beta carotene--and are abundant in yellow and dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli and kale. No other carotenoids, including beta carotene and lycopene--two major carotenoids in human blood--were found in the lenses. Population studies have shown a relationship between carotenoid or vitamin A levels in the blood and a lower incidence of cataracts.

Of the 31 lenses analyzed, those removed from Asian Indians, who traditionally eat a lot of vegetables, had significantly higher levels of the antioxidants than those from Americans. Among the American lenses, antioxidant levels differed significantly, possibly reflecting a wide difference in vegetable intake among Americans.