Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a study of 847 patients with an average age of 73.5 years, those who took 2000 IU vitamin E per day had a 26% reduction of death in Alzheimer’s disease patients, compared to those who did not take vitamin E.
The incidence of Alzheimer Disease (AD) has doubled since 1980. It currently affects just under 5 million Americans and is expected to affect 16 million by 2050 (1). It currently costs our healthcare system over $100 billion each year (2).
Now a new study (3) has found that vitamin E may help with mental health and AD. In the study, 847 patients diagnosed with AD (average age 73.5 years, 67% of whom were female) were given 2000 IU of vitamin E per day and followed for just under 5 years. While two-thirds of the patients consumed the vitamin E with an AD drug called a cholinesterase inhibitor, less than 10% of the group took vitamin E alone and 15% consumed no vitamin E.
The researchers found that whether or not they were on the AD drug, vitamin E supplementation was associated with a 26% reduction in death in AD patients compared to those who didn’t take vitamin E. And although the 2000 IU of vitamin E per day is significantly higher than the 22.5 IU per day in adults and 28.5 IU per day in lactating women currently recommended by the National Institute of Health (4), the researchers concluded that because “people who took [the AD drug] without vitamin E did not have a survival benefit” that ”more research needs to be done to determine why this may be the case.”
Source: Pavlik, Valory, Rachelle Doody, Susan Rountree, and Eveleen Darby. “Vitamin E use is associated with improved survival in an AD cohort.” Age 1, no. 1.02 (2008): 1-05.
© 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel
Posted July 2, 2008.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Danville, CA. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at mailto:PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.CompleteChiropracticHealthcare.com
References:
- Hebert, LE; Scherr, PA; Bienias, JL; Bennett, DA; Evans, DA. “Alzheimer Disease in the U.S. Population: Prevalence Estimates Using the 2000 Census.” Archives of Neurology August 2003; 60 (8): 1119 – 1122
- Ernst, RL; Hay, JW. “The U.S. Economic and Social Costs of Alzheimer’s Disease Revisited.” American Journal of Public Health 1994; 84(8): 1261 – 1264
- American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting
15 April 2008, Poster Sessions III: Aging and Dementia: Clinical II
[P03.076] Vitamin E Use Is Associated with Improved Survival in an AD Cohort. Authors: V. Pavlik, R. Doody, S. Rountree, E. Darby - “Vitamin E” posted on the Office of Dietary Supplements website.
