A new study suggests that supplementation with vitamin E may improve the immune defense in the elderly.

Healthy elderly men and women were supplemented with 200 mg per day for 3 months. Compared to non-elderly healthy adults (the controls), the elderly adults were found to have impaired immunity characterized by less than optimal neutrophils, lymphocytes and natural killer cells.

After supplementations the immune system functioned almost as good in the elderly as in the non-elderly adults.

On re-testing six months later, some of the positive benefits were still present in spite of having taken no vitamin E for six month.

The authors of the study concluded that: "The present findings suggest that supplementation with vitamin E can produce an improvement of immune functions and therefore of health in aged people."

Vitamin E can be given in tablet or capsules or even in powders. Sphere Healthcare has several different types of vitamin E available for various applications and product types.

Contact Sphere Healthcare customer service for further information.

Reference: Vitamin E ingestion improves several immune functions in elderly men and women, De la Fuente M, Hernanz A, et al, Free Radic Res, 2008; 42(3): 272-80.