Each woman first ate a control meal with a low antioxidant content. Then, over the course of two months, the researchers added either a strawberry extract, a spinach extract, red wine or 1,250 milligrams of vitamin C to the control meal. An extra 200 milligrams of vitamin E daily could help older people fight infections, but bigger doses of the vitamin don't mean bigger benefits. The immune system declines with aging, contributing to increased infections. In a recent ARS study, men and women over age 65 who took daily vitamin E supplements improved their immune system's response to foreign antigens.
Antigens prompt the body to produce antibodies.
Then they were given a standard test, called DTH, that measures the body's reaction to seven antigens injected into the skin. Those taking 800 mg had a 49 percent increase. The 200-mg group also produced the most antibodies to three vaccines administered after the supplemental period. For example, their antibodies to hepatitis B virus were sixfold greater than those in the placebo group. In a new ARS study, eight healthy women, age 28 to 41, cut their calorie intake in half for 15 weeks.