Scientists believe that as many as four million people in the U.S. suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and that about 3% of men and women ages 65 to 74 have the disease. AD is the most common form of dementia, a degenerative condition where nervous tissue in the brain breaks down, gradually reducing the ability to think, learn, and remember. AD is not a normal part of aging, and researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health now recommend taking the antioxidant vitamins C (ascorbic acid) and E to reduce the risk for AD.

The researchers examined data from the Cache County (Utah) Study to determine the risk for AD among supplement users and non-users. Researchers followed the dietary habits of 4,740 county residents, aged 65 or older, from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2000. About one in six participants (17%) reported taking more than 500 mg of vitamin C or more than 400 IU of vitamin E per day. Another 20% used multivitamins, but with lower doses of vitamins C or E.

In the first phase of the study, those who combined the higher doses of vitamins C and E had a 78% lower risk of having AD. These vitamin users were more likely to be female, younger, more educated, and to have better general health than non-users. At the end of the second phase of the study, 104 of the remaining 3,220 participants had developed AD, and those who combined the higher doses of vitamins C and E were 64% less likely to have developed the disease.

There was no significant reduction in AD risk for those who took vitamin C or vitamin E alone or for those who took multivitamins alone. The researchers believe that doses of at least 500 mg of vitamin C in combination with 400 IU of vitamin E per day offer protection against AD. The researchers also suggest there may be some protective effect from taking at least 400 IU of vitamin E per day in combination with the lower doses of vitamin C typically found in multivitamins.

Reference: Archives of Neurology; 2004, Vol. 61, 82-8.

Tags: aging, Alzheimer's, antioxidants, brain, Vitamin C, Vitamin E

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