Could vitamin E slow dementia?
Research suggests that a daily dose of vitamin E could help people with dementia, BBC News reports.
However, high doses of vitamin E are not safe or suitable for everybody and should not be taken without medical advice.
The BBC reports on a US trial with a group of 613 people with mild to moderate
Alzheimer’s disease who were already receiving treatment with widely used medication - acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChe inhibitors).
Researchers looked at whether adding daily treatment with either a vitamin E supplement, another Alzheimer’s drug called memantine, or a combination of the two, improved the person’s ability to perform activities of daily living.
In comparison with a placebo, they found that during the average two-year study period people taking vitamin E alone showed slower decline on the activities scale than those taking the placebo. They were able to carry out everyday tasks such as washing and their caregivers reported spending less time looking after them.
There was no significant difference between the memantine and combination groups and the placebo groups.
However, the trial had a large drop-out rate which might have affected the results.
It’s important to note that people in the trial took vitamin E in very large doses, which may be unsafe for some people and can lead to adverse interaction with other medications.
Further research is required on both the effectiveness and safety of vitamin E before it can be recommended as a treatment for dementia.
Do not take high doses of vitamin E without checking with your GP that it is safe to do so.
