Less Dementia in Vitamin Users

Researchers at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu report that vitamins E and C may protect against age-related mental decline and some types of dementia. In the study of nearly 4000 Japanese-American men, ages 71 to 93 over a six-year period, 47 were diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, 35 with vascular dementia, 50 with other types of dementia, 254 had low mental-test scores but were not diagnosed with dementia, and 2,999 men showed no problems with mental capabilities. Those men who took vitamins E and C supplements at least once a week in 1988 were 88 percent less likely to have vascular dementia, and 69 percent less likely to have other forms of dementia. These men also were 20 percent more likely to have better cognitive function than men not taking vitamins E and C. The men taking supplements when questioned in both 1982 and 1988 had a 75 greater chance of better mental performance than men not taking supplements during those periods. The researchers suggest that the supplements play a role in providing protection against brain cell and membrane injury involved in many age-related diseases, thus resulting in significantly higher scores on mental performance tests later in life.

SOURCE/REFERENCE: Neurology, March 28, 2000