A new study found that Vitamin E supplements can help slow down the decline rate of dementia patients by 19 percent.
Dr. Maurice Dysken, lead author of the study from the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, and his colleagues recruited 613 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer ’s disease from 14 Veteran Affairs medical centers.
The participants were divided into four groups: 152 were asked to take 2000 IU per day of Vitamin E, 155 took 20 mg of a dementia drug (memantine) per day, 154 for a combination of Vitamin E and memantine, and 152 with placebo. Out of 613 participants, only 561 were able to complete the medication during the follow-up period of August 2007 to September 2012.
Prior to the study, the participants were asked to take the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study/Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) assessment to measure their capability to perform daily tasks with no to less help from caregivers. They were then reassessed after the follow-up period to measure improvement.
The functional dementia assessment measurements revealed that those who took Vitamin E supplements improved by 19 percent in average compared to those given placebo. They needed less help from their caregivers as well.
"These findings suggest that alpha tocopherol is beneficial in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease by slowing functional decline and decreasing caregiver burden," Dr. Dysken told BBC News.
Though the results were significant, health experts warned that further studies should be done because the 2000 IU per day of Vitamin E is way above the safe daily requirement. According to the National Institutes of Health, the adequate intake of Vitamin E per day for adults should be 15 mg or 22.4 IU only. The highest safe level of intake from supplements for adults is 1,500 IU per day for natural forms of vitamin E and 1,100 IU per day for the synthetic form.
Overconsumption of vitamin E from supplements may increase a person’s risk to serious bleeding in the brain, also known as hemorrhagic stroke.
The study was published in the December 31 issue of the Journal of Medical Association.
