Waiter ! There's a Vitamin in My Soup
Professor David J. Demko, PhD
AgeVenture News Service
"You are what you eat." Everyone has heard that one. Well, how about this one? "You aren't the pill you pop." I'm talking about the age-old nutrition battle, eating well versus taking supplements. On one side, you have the health food industry singing the praises of mega-multi-vitamin supplements. Sure, it makes good sense to take a daily multiple when your food habits ignore your vitamin RDAs. On the other side of the nutrition battle line are the dietary research scientists focusing on the public interest in lieu of private profit. Here's the issue. From what source should you get your vitamins, a food plate or a pill? Here's a better question. Does your choice of source make any difference? Surprising, the answer for ALL AGES just might come from research on OLD AGE, Alzheimer's Disease (AD) specifically.
A diet rich in foods containing vitamin E may help protect some people against Alzheimer’s disease, according to study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 2002). Researchers found that vitamin E in the form of supplements was not associated with a reduction in the risk of AD.
Reports on vitamin E and dementia are now studying the effectiveness of vitamin E and other antioxidants in preventing or postponing cognitive decline and AD. Two recent studies, supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health, associate vitamin E with protection against more general cognitive decline.
- Journal of the American Medical Association (June 2002)
conducted by Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D.,
Rush Presbyterian-St.Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, IL,
Denis A. Evans, M.D., and colleagues.
- The Archives of Neurology study (July 2002)
also conducted by Morris and colleagues.
The studies report a link between high dietary intake of vitamins C and E and protection against AD in certain people. “The only way this association can really be tested is through clinical studies and trials now underway. These will help us determine whether vitamin E in food or in supplements, or taken together, can prevent or slow down the development of mild cognitive impairment or AD.”
It is not recommended, based on current evidence, that people take high-dose vitamin E supplements or other antioxidant pills in an effort to prevent mental decline, Buckholtz says.Little is known about safety, effectiveness, and dosages of various antioxidant supplements that are proposed for neuroprotective purposes, Buckholtz emphasizes. In excessively high doses (above 2,000 International Units daily, or IU/d), for example, vitamin E may be associated with increased risk of bleeding, and patients taking anti-coagulant medications may be especially at risk.
The NIA advises people to consult with their physicians before taking high doses of supplemental vitamin E or other antioxidants. Good advice, IF the physician is well-versed in dietary science. Too few medical schools incorporate adequate physician training in nutrition,geriatrics, and polypharmacy. At least that's the opinion of AgeVenture News Service.
See related articles in AgeVenture archives.
Alzheimer’s Cost to Medicare Jumps 54%
Folic Acid a Day Just Might Keep Alzheimer’s Away
Vitamin E Helps Heart in Type II Diabetics
Heart Disease Risk Reduced by Vitamin E
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