There is a widespread medical consensus that in order to achieve optimal health, older Americans should eliminate unhealthy habits such as smoking or drinking. However, there may be good news for those who have tried and failed, to completely kick their habit, as a recent study suggests that vitamin supplementation may help.

Finnish researchers have published a study in the journal Age and Ageing, which found that adding vitamin E to one’s diet may reduce the risk of mortality in older men who smoke less than a pack of cigarettes a day. However, this risk reduction was contingent on an already high vitamin C intake.

In the study, the scientists, led by Harri Hemila and Jaakko Kaprio of the University of Helsinki, analyzed data from nearly 11,000 seniors covering the period of eight years. They found that while vitamin E supplementation didn’t extend longevity under normal circumstances, individuals who had high levels of vitamin C and smoked less than a pack per day tended to live longer by two years at the upper limit of the follow-up age span.

Since this relationship was noted in the oldest participants—those who were more than 71-years-old—the researchers are now proposing a larger age-controlled study to confirm these results.

Some of the best dietary sources of vitamin E include seeds and seed oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, olives and avocados.