A recent study featured on TIME reports that vitamin E may help slow down the effects of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers from the Minneapolis VA Health Care System worked with 613 Alzheimer's patients and separated them into three groups: one group was given a dosage of vitamin E, another received memantine, a drug which may help preserve nerve function, and the last was given a placebo.
After 2.3 years, those who regularly took vitamin E showed better cognitive prowess as compared with those who received nothing but placebo. In fact, the progression of mental decline in those who were given the supplement was reduced by 19 percent, whereas memantine did not have the same benefit.
Although more work is needed to see how much vitamin E may help patients with Alzheimer's, researchers are hopeful that this could be used as an alternative to current prescription drugs.
“We consider vitamin E more like a medication than a supplement,” says study author Dr. Maurice W. Dysken. “The dosage in a multivitamin is much lower. We found our dosage to be safe.”
Vitamin E, which can be found in nuts, seeds, tomatoes, spinach, avocados and mangoes, is also known to protect arteries from cholesterol clogging, and even help fight liver cancer. Ask your doctor about it today.
(Photo by Jaanus Silla via Flickr Creative Commons)
