March, 2014
Adding vitamin E to standard Alzheimer's drugs modestly slows the decline in daily functioning caused by dementia, according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study involved over 600 adults, almost all of them men. Their average age was 79, and all had been diagnosed with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease. They were already taking one of the standard Alzheimer's medications, such as donepezil (Aricept).
The men were assigned at random to get one of four treatments in addition to their Alzheimer's drug: 2,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin E, an Alzheimer's drug called memantine (Namenda), both vitamin E and memantine, or an inactive placebo pill.
Men on vitamin E experienced slightly less functional decline over several years, compared with those who took the placebo pill. The effect was modest, but could noticeably prolong a person's ability to bathe, dress, and prepare meals without help. Taking the memantine did not appear to help.
This study provides reassurance that vitamin E therapy is safe and potentially helpful in people with Alzheimer's disease. But the findings do not mean that a healthy person should take large doses of vitamin E in hopes of preventing memory loss, or that doing so is safe.
