The importance of consuming healthy levels of vitamins can hardly be understated. Taking a daily nutritional supplement can maintain bodily well-being and lower the risk of disease. To that end, researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, recently set out to determine the effect vitamin E has on pneumonia.

Their results, which were published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology, suggested that vitamin E supplementation may increase or decrease the risk of the lung disease, depending on a person’s lifestyle choices.

After surveying more than 29,000 adults, the team found that individuals who took a daily dose of vitamin E were almost 70 percent less likely to contract pneumonia if they exercised often and smoked rarely.

Conversely, vitamin E-taking participants who smoked the most and did not exercise were nearly 80 percent more likely to come down with the illness.

Researchers concluded that further investigation into the connection between the nutrient and lung health should be undertaken.

Vitamin E promotes immune health, helps regulate cell signalling and provides antioxidant protection from free radicals, according to the National Institutes of Health.