Vitamin E May Help Lower Dementia Risk

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Eating your veggies just got easier. A study performed by the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam Netherlands, found that consuming more vitamin E could help you lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

According to experimental data, oxidative stress; damage to the cells from oxygen exposure, is thought to play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Data also suggests that antioxidants, nutrients that help repair this damage, may protect against degeneration of nervous system cells.

Researchers assessed 5,395 participants 55 years or older who did not have dementia between 1990 and 1993. They focused on four main antioxidants: vitamins E and C, beta carotene and flavonoids. Participants underwent a home interview and two clinical examinations at the beginning of the study, and provided information on their daily diet through a two-step process involving a meal-based checklist and food questionnaire.

Over an average of 9.6 years of follow up, 465 participants developed dementia and 365 of those were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Results showed that one-third of individuals who consumed the most vitamin E were 25 percent less likely to develop dementia.

"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," Erasmus Medical Center, Elizabeth E. Devore, Sc.D., was quoted saying.

Future studies are needed to evaluate dietary intake of antioxidants and dietary risks.

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SOURCE: JAMA, July 2010.