Antioxidants up in smoke
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Antioxidants are believed to be important against free radicals, which can damage cells. But a study says kids’ antioxidants can drop when they breathe secondhand smoke. At the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York, Karen Wilson checked data on antioxidants in more than 2,000 children and teens ages 6 and 18:
[Karen Wilson speaks] "Over most antioxidants, the levels in children who were exposed to secondhand smoke were lower than in children who were not exposed to secondhand smoke."
Wilson says children should be protected from secondhand smoke. For kids who are exposed, it may be especially important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Wilson’s study, presented at a meeting of the Pediatric Academic Society, was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
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HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.
Last revised: May 7, 2011