What this clearly shows is that to perform their vital roles, vitamins C and E work together. They have a synergistic effect that will not be gained just by intake of one or the other, and adequate levels of these nutrients is especially important for people who smoke.

We think that having an adequate supply of both vitamins E and C will help to decrease oxidative stress that is too low for us to measure and will then help to forestall the onset of chronic diseases. Taking vitamin E and vitamin C supplements will decrease oxidative stress.

The immune response of the body also tends to cause inflammation. And this inflammation is one reason that smoking relates not only to lung cancer but other serious health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

What this and other studies like it are showing is that the protection we get from proper diet or supplements often comes from combinations of nutrients working together. This has implications not only for smokers but also for many other people.

The gratifying part was coming back last year because there was so much doubt.

It's a good day if you're on the field and not in the rehab room. The Indians treated me like gold. I'm in a big-league camp trying for a job because of the way they helped me.