A study, published in the July, 2010 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease by scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the University of Perugia, reports a protective benefit for high vitamin E levels against Alzheimer’s disease. The study does not encourage people to take large amounts of vitamin E. It suggests that further research is needed and the protective effect of vitamin E seems to come from a mixture of various forms of vitamin E, not from large doses of one form of vitamin E.
The study included 232 people over 80 years old who were free of dementia at the beginning of the study. Plasma levels of vitamin E components alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocopherol and tocotrienols were measured as an initial baseline. The participants were followed for 6 years, after which 57 cases of Alzheimer’s disease were diagnosed. This was one of very few studies to include tocotrienols; most studies only use the alpha form of tocopherol--the form used in most vitamin E pills.
The study found that those whose plasma levels of tocopherols, tocotrienols, or total vitamin E were in the highest one-third of participants had a 45 to 54 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those whose levels were among the lowest third. “Vitamin E is a family of eight natural components, but most studies related to Alzheimer’s disease investigate only one of these components, alpha-tocopherol," stated Dr. Mangialasche. "We hypothesized that all the vitamin E family members could be important in protecting against AD. If confirmed, this result has implications for both individuals and society, as 70 percent of all dementia cases in the general population occurs in people over 75 years of age, and the study suggests a protective effect of vitamin E against AD in individuals aged 80+."
"Elderly people as a group are large consumers of vitamin E supplements, which usually contain only alpha-tocopherol, and this often at high doses," she noted. "Our findings need to be confirmed by other studies, but they open up for the possibility that the balanced presence of different vitamin E forms can have an important neuroprotective effect."
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects all the tissues in the body. It has been associated in other studies with protecting us from cancer and heart disease. One possible conclusion from the Stockholm study is that we need to consume more foods containing the various forms of vitamin E--almonds, hazelnuts, eggs, spinach, avacado. By using foods rather than supplements, we get a mix of the various forms of vitamin E rather than a single form.
Please note: The information here is not to be followed as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your physician or primary health practitioner for information regarding your own personal health and necessary treatments.
