Vitamin E Fights Alzheimer’s Disease?

Will Vitamin E help fight Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s disease is known to steal your life from you, slowly but surely. All your memories, starting from the most recent ones your brain has registered, such as your recent trip to the beach or that kiss you shared with your partner, will be erased permanently. Is it true that Vitamin E helps stop this from happening?

Let’s look behind the curtain and discover what Alzheimer’s disease really is, and what the role of Vitamin E is in the management of Alzheimer’s.

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

A lot of people think that they know what Alzheimer’s disease is. They think it is forgetfulness, and that old people are bound to have it. But most of these assumptions are wrong and you’re better off knowing what Alzheimer’s disease really is.

• Alzheimer’s disease is, put simply, a degenerative disease of forgetfulness. Your memories are wiped from your mind, starting from the most recent ones, going back to the memories you’ve had when you were a child as it progresses.
• Not all cases of forgetfulness are due to Alzheimer’s disease. Just because you keep forgetting where you put your keys does not mean you have Alzheimer’s. The characteristic memory loss of Alzheimer’s is usually described as odd, such as forgetting that you placed your keys inside the freezer. In other words, if you simply forgot that your keys are still in yesterday’s pants, then you probably don’t have Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer’s disease is not normal in the elderly. No, Alzheimer’s is not a normal phenomenon. Senile forgetfulness, one that normally occurs with aging, is different from Alzheimer’s. In Alzheimer’s disease, there are certain pathologic changes in the brain that do not occur in the kind of forgetfulness associated with senility.
• Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease. It continues until it reaches its completion. It starts gradually, but once it starts, it cannot be stopped. However, you can delay its progression.

Does Vitamin E delay Alzheimer’s disease progression?

A 2009 study revealed the potential role of Vitamin E in delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Here are the published research findings.

• High dose Vitamin E slows down memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease. This is true when Vitamin E is combined with drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors.
• Vitamin E has a proven benefit in Alzheimer’s disease, but only when taken long term. Vitamin E’s role is seen to increase over time, as the participants experienced less memory loss with time over a span of five years. However, taking it in a year or less may have no benefit.
• Vitamin E is effective in delaying Alzheimer’s disease, but its long-term safety is uncertain. After all, the study did not take into consideration the side effects and adverse effects after long term, high dose use. One study showed that high dose Vitamin E, especially when above 400 IU per day, may lead to increased risk for death.

Before taking Vitamin E for Alzheimer’s disease, make sure to ask your physician as it comes with both risks and benefits. And if you don’t have Alzheimer’s disease, protect yourself by reading more and finishing school as a study showed that a higher degree of education is associated with a lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Speaking of vitamins, you might want to read about how Vitamin C can help prevent eyestrain.

Sources:
Kathleen Louden, “AGS 2009: High-Dose Vitamin E Slows Functional Decline in Alzheimer's Disease”, Medscape Medical News
Caroline Cassels, “High Education Level May Reduce Memory Impairment, Delay Onset of Alzheimer's Symptoms”, Medscape Medical News
Schürks, M, et al, “Effects of Vitamin E on Stroke Subtypes: Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials”, Medscape Medical News

Sean Gutierrez wrote this article on the effects of Vitamin E on Alzheimer’s disease. He is the founder of Natural Pain Remedies and is a non-practicing doctor who owns a private business and has a lot of spare time. He loves scouring the internet for relevant health articles that highlight recent trends on alternative and complementary medicine. He welcomes newbie health bloggers and medical writers to his health blog. Feel free to contribute health articles to this blog.