Vitamins good to prevent Alzheimer's disease?

[Guest guest]

It seems that there is reduced risk of vitamin users for Alzheimer's

disease.

Cheers, Al Pater.

Arch. Neurol. 61 No. 1, January 2004

Reduced Risk of Alzheimer Disease in Users of Antioxidant Vitamin

Supplements

The Cache County Study

P. Zandi, PhD; C. , PhD; Ara S. Khachaturian, PhD;

V. Stone, PhD; Deborah Gustafson, PhD; JoAnn T. Tschanz,

PhD; C. Norton, PhD; Kathleen A. Welsh-Bohmer, PhD; C. S.

Breitner, MD; for the Cache County Study Group

Arch Neurol. 2004;61:82-88.

Background Antioxidants may protect the aging brain against

oxidative damage associated with pathological changes of Alzheimer

disease (AD).

Objective To examine the relationship between antioxidant supplement

use and risk of AD.

Design Cross-sectional and prospective study of dementia. Elderly

(65 years or older) county residents were assessed in 1995 to 1997

for prevalent dementia and AD, and again in 1998 to 2000 for incident

illness. Supplement use was ascertained at the first contact.

Setting Cache County, Utah.

Participants Among 4740 respondents (93%) with data sufficient to

determine cognitive status at the initial assessment, we identified

200 prevalent cases of AD. Among 3227 survivors at risk, we

identified 104 incident AD cases at follow-up.

Main Outcome Measure Diagnosis of AD by means of multistage

assessment procedures.

Results Analyses of prevalent and incident AD yielded similar

results. Use of vitamin E and C (ascorbic acid) supplements in

combination was associated with reduced AD prevalence (adjusted odds

ratio, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.60) and incidence

(adjusted hazard ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.99). A

trend toward lower AD risk was also evident in users of vitamin E and

multivitamins containing vitamin C, but we saw no evidence of a

protective effect with use of vitamin E or vitamin C supplements

alone, with multivitamins alone, or with vitamin B–complex

supplements.

Conclusions Use of vitamin E and vitamin C supplements in

combination is associated with reduced prevalence and incidence of

AD. Antioxidant supplements merit further study as agents for the

primary prevention of AD.