Older People Eating Vitamin E Rich Foods Less
Likely to Suffer Dementia, Alzheimers
New tests indicated high levels of the sun vitamin,
D, and now E, both help older people preserve their memory
July
13, 2010 - Consuming more vitamin E through the diet appears
to be associated with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease,
according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Neurology,
one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A report in SeniorJournal.com
yesterday shows new testing has also found that higher levels of vitamin
D also seem to protect against these memory-robbing diseases.
March 3, 2006 Vitamin E good or bad has been
a hot topic in medicine for the last couple of years. New research at
Ohio State University, looking at how two forms of vitamin E act inside
animal cells, has concluded this powerful antioxidant, popular with
senior citizens, is "truly a
double-edged sword."
Read more...
Oxidative stress - damage to the cells from oxygen
exposure - is thought to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's
disease. Various research indicates that antioxidants, nutrients that
help repair this damage, may protect against the degeneration of nervous
system cells.
"Although clinical trials have shown no benefit of
antioxidant supplements for Alzheimer's disease, the wider variety of
antioxidants in food sources is not well studied relative to dementia
risk; a few studies, with varying lengths of follow-up, have yielded
inconsistent results," the authors write in explaining their pursuit of
this research.
Elizabeth E. Devore, Sc.D., of Erasmus Medical
Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues assessed 5,395
participants 55 years and older who did not have dementia between 1990
and 1993.
Participants underwent a home interview and two clinical
examinations at the beginning of the study, and provided dietary
information through a two-step process involving a meal-based checklist
and a food questionnaire.
The researchers focused on four antioxidants:
▪ vitamin E,
▪ vitamin C,
▪ beta carotene and
▪ flavonoids.
The major food sources were:
● Vitamin E - margarine, sunflower oil, butter,
cooking fat, soybean oil and mayonnaise;
● Vitamin C - oranges, kiwi, grapefruit juice,
grapefruit, cauliflower, red bell peppers and red cabbage;
● Beta Carotene - carrots, spinach, vegetable
soup, endive and tomato; and
● Flavonoids - tea, onions, apples and
carrots.
Over an average of 9.6 years of follow-up, 465
participants developed dementia; 365 of those were diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease.
After adjusting for other potentially related
factors, the one-third of individuals who consumed the most vitamin E (a
median or midpoint of 18.5 milligrams per day) were 25 percent less
likely to develop dementia than the one-third of participants who
consumed the least (a median of 9 milligrams per day).
Dietary intake levels of vitamin C, beta carotene
and flavonoids were not associated with dementia risk.
Results were similar when only the participants
diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease were assessed.
"The brain is a site of high metabolic activity,
which makes it vulnerable to oxidative damage, and slow accumulation of
such damage over a lifetime may contribute to the development of
dementia," the authors write.
"In particular, when beta-amyloid (a hallmark of
pathologic Alzheimer's disease) accumulates in the brain, an
inflammatory response is likely evoked that produces nitric oxide
radicals and downstream neurodegenerative effects. Vitamin E is a
powerful fat-soluble antioxidant that may help to inhibit the
pathogenesis of dementia."
Future studies are needed to evaluate dietary
intake of antioxidants and dietary risks, including different points at
which consuming more antioxidants might reduce risk, the authors
conclude.
The study was supported by a grant from the
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (Dr. Breteler) and by a
training grant from the National Institutes of Health and by a U.S.
Fulbright Fellowship to the Netherlands (Dr. Devore).
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
July
13, 2010 - Consuming more vitamin E through the diet appears
to be associated with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease,
according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Neurology,
one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A report in SeniorJournal.com
yesterday shows new testing has also found that higher levels of vitamin
D also seem to protect against these memory-robbing diseases.