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A diet
high in vitamin E foods may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's
disease by nearly 70 percent, according to researchers in
Chicago.
The report
on the study, which coincided with news of another study on
the benefits of antioxidants (see related Alzheimer Week story),
involved 815 participants from the larger Chicago Health and
Aging Project.
Participants,
who were at least 65-years-old and dementia-free, were followed
for about four years. About a year-and-a-half after initial
assessments, patients filled out questionnaires that asked
for details on the types and quantities of food consumed over
the past year.
Results
of the study, appearing in The Journal of the American Medical
Association, showed at final follow-up, 131 of the participants
-- approximately 16 percent -- had developed Alzheimer's disease.
However,
among those participants who had the largest intake of foods
containing vitamin E, less than six percent developed Alzheimer's.
After adjusting other factors, the researchers concluded that
participants with the highest intake of foods containing vitamin
E were 67 percent less likely to develop the disease,
Although
dietary intake of vitamin C seemed to offer some protection,
researchers said those results were not statistically significant.
They also
said the benefits of a vitamin E-rich diet were not found
in participants who carried the apoplipoprotein E-4 (APOE-4
allele), which has been linked to development of the disease.
Source:
Alzheimer Week
of June 30, 2002
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