WASHINGTON, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Supplements of both Vitamin E and Vitamin C can improve outcomes of surgical patients, according to the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter.

The medical publication, in its coming April edition, reports on a study of 600 patients that has been published in the Annals of Surgery.

The study found that trauma patients who received Vitamin E and Vitamin C were "less likely to experience organ failure." Patients who received both vitamins also had shorter stays in intensive care units and spent less time on a ventilator, the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter said.

Both Vitamin E and Vitamin C are considered strong antioxidants. Antioxidants are believed to be effective by reducing oxidative stress, which damages cells in organs by producing free radicals, the publication noted.

Free radicals are molecules associated with aging and with certain diseases, including cancer.

The roles of Vitamin E and Vitamin C as antioxidants have been the subject of numerous health studies. Supplements of Vitamin E, for example, were recently credited with reducing the risk of bladder cancer mortality in a study conducted by the American Cancer Society's Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance Research.