Vitamin E for Alzheimer disease: The answer is not so E-asy

Vitamin E and Alzheimer Disease

Introduction Recently, there has been growing interest in the use of vitamins for the treatment of various health conditions. One study has estimated that 35–54% of older Canadians take some form of vitamin or mineral supplement.1 Oxidative stress has been theorized to be an important contributor to select conditions, particularly those involving the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. ...

Vitamin E, memantine, and Alzheimer disease.

The report by Dysken et al1 in this issue of JAMA raises interesting issues about drug therapy for Alzheimer disease (AD) and emphasizes the importance of closely following this rapidly evolving field. In this randomized clinical trial, older veterans (97% men) with AD and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of 12 to 26 who were receiving acetylcholinesterase inhibitors were assigned to...

Beyond cholesterol reduction in coronary heart disease: is vitamin E the answer?

Apolipoprotein E and Alzheimer disease.

Inheritance of specific apolipoprotein E (apoE) alleles determines, in large part, the risk and mean age of onset of late-onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer disease. The mechanism by which the apoE isoforms differentially contribute to disease expression is, however, unknown. Isoform-specific differences have been identified in the binding of apoE to the microtubule-associated protein tau, w...

Vitamin E and Alzheimer disease: the basis for additional clinical trials.

Many lines of evidence suggest that oxidative stress is important in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. In particular, beta-amyloid, which is found abundantly in the brains of Alzheimer disease patients, is toxic in neuronal cell cultures through a mechanism involving free radicals. Vitamin E prevents the oxidative damage induced by beta-amyloid in cell culture and delays memory deficits in...