Foods Rich in Vitamin E May Help Slash Alzheimer’s Risk

In that The Rotterdam Study previously found that higher dietary intakes of vitamins E and C related to lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease over a six-year long follow-up period. Monique M. B. Breteler, from Erasmus Medical Center (The Netherlands) and colleagues studied whether the consumption of foods rich in the major dietary antioxidants influenced the long-term risk of dementia. The team studied 5,395 participants, ages 55 years and older, who were free of dementia and provided dietary information at the study’s start, following them for an average of 9.6 years.  They found that those subjects who consumed the most vitamin E (18.5 mg/day) were 25% less likely to develop dementia, as compared to those who consumed the least (9.0 mg/day). In that the dietary intake levels of other antioxidants (namely vitamin C, beta carotene, and flavonoids) were not found to associate with dementia risk, the researchers conclude that: “Higher intake of foods rich in vitamin E may modestly reduce long-term risk of dementia and [Alzheimer’s Disease].”