No better memor-E.Vitamin E vitamin E or tocopherol Fat-soluble organic compound found principally in certain plant oils and leaves of green vegetables. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in body tissues and may prolong life by slowing oxidative destruction of membranes. failed to slow the progression to Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (ăls`hī'mərz, ôls–), degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. in a study of more than 700 Americans and Canadians with mild cognitive impairment mild cognitive impairment (MCI), n memory loss generally associated with aging; does not affect normal independent functioning of an individual. . Roughly 16 percent of people who were given 2,000 IU of vitamin E a day were diagnosed with Alzheimer's during each year of the three-year study--the same rate as those given a placebo. The study found a slower rate of progression among people who were given donepezil (Aricept), but only for the first year of the study. By the end of the three years, the percentage of donepezil takers with Alzheimer's was no different than the percentage of placebo takers. What to do: Don't take vitamin E to lower your risk of Alzheimer's. Instead, stay mentally and physically active and make sure your blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol are at healthy levels. New England Journal of Medicine The New England Journal of Medicine (New Engl J Med or NEJM) is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world. 352: 2379, 2005. |
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