Effects of Short-term Supplementation with Vitamin C on Lipid Peroxidation in Cigarette Smokers

Background:Cigarette smoke has been reported to result in a depletion of body antioxidant vitamins. This study evaluated the association between smoking, dietary antioxidants and indices of oxidative stress in male cigarette smokers. Methods: Blood samples were collected at a baseline and at the end of 5 days supplementation with 500 mg vitamin C (two dosages/day) from 36 smokers and 43 nonsmokers. Serum levels of total and reduced forms of vitamin C, retinol, á-tocopherol were measured as antioxidants and malondialdehyde as an oxidative stress index. Results: The study showed that cigarette smokers were at higher risk of marginal vitamin C deficiency. Smokers retained significantly higher concentrations of dehydroascorbate and malondialdehyde levels as compared to nonsmokers implying that smoking enhanced lipid peroxidation. Vitamin C supplementation improved lipid peroxidation index with 18% reduction in serum malondialdehyde of smokers (P < 0.05), but did not significantly change that of nonsmokers. Conclusion: Vitamin C supplementation attenuated lipid peroxidation of smokers, which may reflect its protective role against oxidative stress. This may suggest the need for either a more prolonged vitamin C supplementation or the requirement of more than one constituent of the antioxidant system.