(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women 45 and older who get long-term, regular doses of vitamin E may decrease their risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by about 10 percent.

Researchers at Cornell University and Brigham and Women's Hospital reviewed data from nearly 40,000 women, who were randomly assigned to receive either 600 mg of vitamin E or a placebo every other day. Their study shows vitamin E may have a protective benefit for COPD

"As lung disease develops, damage occurs to sensitive tissues through several proposed processes, including inflammation and damage from free radicals," Anne Hermetet Agler, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University's Division of Nutritional Sciences, was quoted as saying. "Vitamin E may protect the lung against such damage."

Although fewer women who took vitamin E developed COPD, the supplements did not appear to reduce asthma, researchers pointed out.

"Remember that vitamin E supplements are known to have detrimental effects in some people," Ms. Agler noted. "For example, vitamin E supplementation increased risk of congestive heart failure in cardiovascular disease patients. Broader recommendations would need to balance both benefits and risks. "