Alzheimer's disease
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Two studies presented at the World Alzheimer Congress 2000 in Washington, D.C. July 11 show antioxidants may prevent the disease. Marianne Engelhart, MD, et al., Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Nether-lands, studied 5,407 dementia-free subjects age 55 and over. After a mean follow-up of six years, the researchers report those with a "high intake" of vitamins E and C and vegetables had a 17%, 9% and 19% lower risk of dementia, and a 19%, 18% and 18% lesser risk for Alzheimer's disease, respectively. Separately, Martha Clare Morris, et al., Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, note a 75 year-old taking 299 IU/day vitamin E has a 34% lower rate of cognitive decline than a 75 year-old taking 6.7 IU/d. The study, which measured cognitive performance in 2,953 subjects from 65 to 102 years old at baseline, six months and three years, found no link between vitamin C and cognitive decline