RESEARCH into the way vitamins help some people stay healthy will take
a major step forward today.
A Sweetheart Appeal aims to raise more than #55,000 to buy specialist
equipment to let scientists explore why some people can absorb
sufficient vitamin C and E from their diet while others do not.
The equipment will enable heart and lung specialists at St Thomas's
Hospital in London to measure minute quantities of the vitamins in
tissue.
Specialists in the Rayne Institute at the hospital hope to identify
the way in which the vitamins exert beneficial effects, especially in
critically ill babies.
They were among the first to recognise the potential for using
vitamins C and E to fight lung disease. They are now studying how
vitamins get to the cells of the heart and lungs and why a shortage can
cause tissue damage.
Professor David Hearse, director of St Thomas's hospital heart
research unit, said: ''We have found there is great scope for boosting
the body's natural reserves of vitamins C and E and, by doing this, we
can help reduce the heart and lung injury using naturally-occurring
materials.''
His colleague Dr Frank J. Kelly said: ''In order to continue our fight
against heart and lung disease, especially in premature babies and
people with cystic fibrosis, we must continue with this vital
research.''
Vitamin C can be found in fruits such as oranges, apples, and
grapefruits and vitamin E is found in tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage.
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