High blood levels of vitamin E may ward off Alzheimer’s disease (AD), say scientists.

The analysis included 232 people. All participants were aged 80 years or more, and were dementia-free at the beginning of the study. After six years of follow-up, 57 AD cases were identified.

The blood levels of all eight natural vitamin E components were measured at the beginning of the study. The study found that subjects with higher blood levels of all the vitamin E forms had a reduced risk of developing AD, compared to subjects with lower levels. After adjusting for various confounders, the risk was reduced by 45% to 54%, depending on the vitamin E component.

The protective effect of vitamin E seems to be related to the combination of the different forms, notes lead author, Dr. Francesca Mangialasche. On the other hand, she warns that high doses of a single form may be detrimental.

“Elderly people as a group are large consumers of vitamin E supplements, which usually contain only ±-tocopherol, and this often at high doses,” adds Dr Mangialasche. “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.”

Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease – July 5, 2010;Epub.
www.j-alz.com