Research data indicate that vitamin E and drugs that reduce generalized inflammation may slow the decline of mental and physical abilities in people with Alzheimer's disease.
The findings, reported at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Chicago, stem from data on 540 patients treated at Massachusetts General Hospital's Memory Disorders Unit, according to Reuters Health.
"Our results are consistent for a potential benefit of vitamin E on slowing functional decline and a smaller possible benefit of anti-inflammatory medications on slowing cognitive decline in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Alireza Atri, who led the National Institutes of Health-sponsored research at Massachusetts General, the VA Bedford Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston.
All of the patients were receiving standard-of-care treatment with a drug intended to help patients with Alzheimer's. As part of their clinical care, 208 patients also took vitamin E but no anti-inflammatory, 49 took an anti-inflammatory but no vitamin E, 177 took both vitamin E and an anti-inflammatory, and 106 took neither.
Although the daily dose of vitamin E ranged from 200 to 2,000 units, the majority of patients were given high doses that ranged from 800 units daily to 1,000 units twice daily.
Each patient's performance on cognitive tests and ability to carry out daily functions such as dressing and personal care was assessed every six months.
After an average of 3 years, "there was a modest slowing of decline in function in those patients taking vitamin E," study investigator Michael R. Flaherty told Reuters Health.
Flaherty, a second-year student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine, presented the findings at the meeting. The treatment benefit from vitamin E was "small to medium" but increased with time, he said.
Taking an anti-inflammatory medication was associated with "very consistent but generally only small effects on slowing long-term decline in cognitive functioning," Atri said.
However, in patients who took both vitamin E and anti-inflammatory medications, there appeared to be an additive effect in terms of slowing overall decline.
Given that past studies have produced equivocal results, the investigators conclude that further studies are needed to assess the long-term balance of risks vs. benefits for people with Alzheimer's disease from taking vitamin E and anti-inflammatory drugs.
© Thomson Reuters.
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