Study on Vitamin E and Alzheimer's Disease

Just another reason I take Vemma :)
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Excerpts from the article with full article available HERE

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New findings presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago show that people with Alzheimer's disease who take vitamin E appear to live longer than those who don't take the vitamin, though more research is needed to confirm these findings.

For the study, researchers followed 847 people with Alzheimer's disease for an average of five years. About two-thirds of the group took 1,000 international units of vitamin E twice a day, along with the Alzheimer’s drug Aricept [CHECK THIS]. Like the drugs Exelon and Razadyne, Aricept is known as a “cholinesterase inhibitor,” a class of drugs that may temporarily slow, but not reverse, the downward progression of Alzheimer’s. Less than 10 percent of the group took vitamin E alone, and approximately 15 percent did not take vitamin E.


The study found people who took vitamin E, with or without an Alzheimer’s drug, were 26 percent less likely to die than people who didn't take vitamin E.

Many people with Alzheimer's or at risk for the disease take vitamin E to protect the brain from damage, even though the vitamin does not have proven benefit for brain health. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant, a substance that neutralizes highly reactive oxygen molecules (or free radicals) throughout the body, including the brain.

Although nobody knows what causes Alzheimer’s disease, studies show that an excess of free radicals may damage brain cells. Scientists have been studying antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C and others to see if they have benefits for people with Alzheimer’s or help prevent the onset of the disease.

Earlier research has suggested that vitamin E may delay the progression of moderately severe Alzheimer’s disease. “Now, we've been able to show that vitamin E appears to increase the survival time of Alzheimer's patients as well," said study author Valory Pavlik, Ph.D., with Baylor College of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center in Houston. “This is particularly important, because recent studies in heart disease patients have questioned whether vitamin E is beneficial for survival.”

Several large studies of vitamin E for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s are ongoing. One, the PREADVISE, for “Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease by Vitamin E and Selenium,” trial is attempting to determine if the antioxidant effects of vitamin E and selenium can help to prevent memory loss and dementia in older adults. Another study, sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, is asking whether the combination of vitamin E and Namenda (memantine) slows progression of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.