May 14, 2015 11:53 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research suggests that there is an association between the amount of vitamin E in the body, exposure to air pollution and lung function.

Researchers at King's College London and the University of Nottingham found a clear link between vitamin E concentrations in the blood and exposure to fine particulate pollution in the general population. Their discovery adds to "growing evidence from previous studies suggesting that some vitamins may play a role in helping to protect the lungs from air pollution," MedicalXPress reported.

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the main air pollutants thought to be damaging to human health.

For the study, researchers measured nearly 300 metabolites, or chemical signatures circulating in the blood, in the blood of more than 5,500 fasting volunteers. who had also undergone a spirometry or lung test. This test determines the lung's forced vital capacity (FVC), a measure of the amount of air you can exhale with force after you inhale as deeply as possible, and forced expiratory volume (FEV), a measure of the amount of air you can exhale with force in one breath.

Their examinations revealed 13 metabolites significantly associated with FVC, 10 of which were also identified for FEV. Of the metabolites associated with lung function, eight were also significantly associated with exposure to both PM2.5 and PM10.

These eight metabolites had a higher exposure to PM was found to correlate with lower levels of the metabolite and a lower FEV.

The strongest association both with PM2.5 and FEV was seen with vitamin E. Individuals with a higher exposure to PM2.5 had significantly lower levels of alpha-tocopherol and also had lower lung function.

"Our work builds on a number studies exploring whether some vitamins can counteract the negative effect on lungs caused by air pollution," Dr. Ana Valdes, co-author of the study, said in a statement. "More work is needed to establish whether antioxidant supplements do indeed provide protection to the lungs in the general population."

Researchers said the findings, which are detailed in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, provide further evidence supporting the theory that PM damages lungs through oxidative attack while alpha-tocopherol acts to minimize oxidative injury.

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