Effect of vitamin C supplementation on serum Cotinine, MDA and vitamin C levels in smokeless Tobacco chewers

Smokeless tobacco is a commonly used drug in the world. Tobacco use in any form is a rising crisis for the population in developing countries. Tobacco contributes significantly to oxidative stress induced morbidity and mortality. The study was aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin C supplementation on serum cotinine, malondialdehyde (MDA) and serum vitamin C level in smokeless tobacco (ST) chewers. In addition, the study was aimed to evaluate the effect of duration of tobacco chewing on above-said parameters. A total number of 338 healthy participants of aged between 31 to 60 years were classified into two groups comprising of tobacco chewers and tobacco non-chewers. Tobacco chewers group further divided into three subgroups with respect to tobacco chewing duration. Participants were asked to take 1000 mg of vitamin C daily for 45 days. Serum cotinine, MDA and serum vitamin C were measured in all the participants before and after supplementation of vitamin C. Serum cotinine (p<0.001) and MDA (p<0.001) were significantly increased whereas serum vitamin C level (p<0.001) was significantly decreased in smokeless tobacco chewers as than to controls. However, serum cotinine (p<0.001) and MDA (p<0.001) were significantly decreased whereas vitamin C (p<0.001) level was significantly increased in both the groups after supplementation of vitamin C as compared to before. It was observed that the changes become more prominent with increased smokeless tobacco consumption duration. Daily intake of vitamin C may be beneficial to restore the oxidant-antioxidant balance in tobacco chewers.