A Creamy Treat for "Lungevity"

Step one for preventing lung cancer: Say no to tobacco. Step two: Have a tablespoon of vitamin-E-rich peanut butter.

Although many studies have suggested that taking high-dose vitamin E supplements may cause lung cancer, one new study bucks the trend. It revealed a possible lung benefit from dietary E -- the kind you get from peanut butter, nuts, and seeds.

Foods You Can Use
It's another argument for getting the nutrients you need from foods, not pills. In the study, people who had the highest intake of vitamin E from foods had a 55 percent lower risk of lung cancer compared with the people who got the least amount of vitamin E in their diets. Dietary alpha-tocopherol, the type of E found in peanut butter and oil-based salad dressings, was particularly protective. (Did you know? About 15 percent of lung cancers occur in nonsmokers.)

More E for the Road
Why the difference between vitamin E supplements and dietary vitamin E? Clinical trials involving vitamin E supplements tend to use the synthetic form of alpha-tocopherol. So it may be that there is something unique to natural alpha-tocopherol that produces a health benefit. Or something else in alpha-tocopherol-rich food may be helpful for lungs. Here are some other benefits of getting extra E:

• A reduced risk of Alzheimer's. See what other vitamins and nutrients protect against Alzheimer's.
• A stronger body. Find out how E helps you walk better.
• Younger eyes. Here are the nutrients you should pair with E to guard against macular degeneration.

Try vitamin E-rich peanut butter for dinner with this recipe: Spicy Peanut Noodles.

Dietary alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-tocopherols in lung cancer risk. Mahabir, S. et al., International Journal of Cancer 2008 Sep 1;123(5):1173-1180.