Cystic fibrosis is an inherited life-threatening disorder that damages the lungs as also the digestive system and a new study states that an antioxidant treatment could help decrease the risk of just that and help patients with this chronic lung disorder. Administering an antioxidant-enriched vitamin may decrease respiratory exacerbations in people with cystic fibrosis, this study states.
The findings from this study state that supplementation with an oral antioxidant-enriched multi-vitamin was safe and well tolerated, and led to increased systemic antioxidant concentrations and a transient decrease in systemic inflammation. People with cystic fibrosis typically experience chronic bacterial infections. And this leads to inflammation and the release of "vast amounts of reactive oxygen species in the airways," said Scott D. Sagel, Professor at the University of Colorado in the US. "While normally the body would marshal an antioxidant defence to neutralise this oxidant stress, but cystic fibrosis is characterised by dietary antioxidant deficiencies. This contributes to an oxidant-antioxidant imbalance and more inflammation, which leads to lung damage and a progressive loss of lung function," Sagel added.
As part of the study, the researchers included a team with nearly 100 patients for a 16-week study where 53 per cent of the antioxidant-treated group experienced 28 exacerbations, compared to 68 per cent of the control group who experienced 39 exacerbations. "Improving antioxidant status in cystic fibrosis is an important clinical goal and may have a positive effect on health," Sagel said.
"While the antioxidant supplement did not appear to exert sustained anti-inflammatory effects, we believe its effect on time to first pulmonary exacerbation was significant and clinically meaningful," Sagel said, adding that the improvement in antioxidant status alone may justify its use. "Developing safe and effective anti-inflammatory treatments remains a key priority of the cystic fibrosis community," he concluded.
This study is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
