Joined: 12/20/2011
Posts: 217
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Vitamin C & beta carotene could help stack the
deck against cognitive decline - German study
July 20, 2012
Article:
Dietary antioxidants and dementia in a
population-based case-control study among older people in South Germany
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Source: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Jun 18, 2012
By Christine
AF von Arnim, et al.
[Note: Lead author Christine von Arnim is “head of the Memory Clinic and managing
director of the interdisciplinary Centre of Geriatrics in Ulm” (Germany). Both
vitamin C and beta carotene are nutrients the body uses to support membrane
integrity.]
Abstract:
Oxidative stress*
is believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease
(AD), a neurodegenerative disease.
Antioxidants may prevent the onset
AD, as high dietary intake of vitamins C and E were reported to be associated
with lower risk of the disease.
The objective of this study was to
evaluate the serum levels of antioxidants in persons with mild dementia to test
whether it is associated with lower levels of antioxidants in a cross-sectional
study in the population of the “Activity and Function in the Elderly in Ulm”
(ActiFE) study. [Involved a full assessment of 1,506 community dwelling older
adults.]
Main exposure measures were:
• Vitamin C,
• Vitamin E,
• Beta-carotene (orange carotene
plant pigment, which the body needs to produce vitamin A; also rich in dark
green leaves, where orange is masked by the green chlorophyll pigment.)
• Lycopene (red carotene pigment, as in tomatoes),
• And coenzyme
Q10…
… as analyzed by HPLC.
Main outcome measures were mild
cognitive impairment among 74 mildly demented compared to 158 age- and
gender-matched controls.
We found that blood vitamin C and beta-carotene
concentrations were significantly lower in demented than in control persons even
after adjusting for school education, intake of dietary supplements, smoking
habits, body mass index, and alcohol consumption (3rd versus 1st tertile: OR:
0.29, 95% CI, 0.09–0.96 and 0.13, 95% CI, 0.03–0.55, respectively).
No
associations were found for vitamin E, lycopene, and coenzyme Q10.
Our
findings suggest an association of vitamin C and beta-carotene with
dementia.
However this is limited to the cross-sectional character of our
study [at one point in time] and longitudinal data will give further insight
into this association.
Source: Journal of Alzheimer’s
Disease, Jun 18, 2012. PMID:22710913, by von Arnim CAF, Herbolsheimer F,
Nikolaus T, Peter R, Biesalski HK, Ludolph AC, Riepe M, Nagel G. Department of
Neurology, Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, and Department of
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II, Mental Health and Old Age Psychiatry, Ulm
University, Ulm; Agaplesion Bethesda Clinic, Ulm; Department of Biological
Chemistry and Nutrition, Food Security Center, University of Hohenheim,
Stuttgart, Germany.
___
* Note: According to
Answers.com:
Oxidative stress is “A condition which occurs when the
production of free radicals in the human body exceeds the body's ability to
neutralize and eliminate them. Oxidative stress can result from a lack of
antioxidants or from an over abundance free radicals. Exercise can increase
levels of free radicals, increasing the risk of oxidative stress. Free radicals
can react with key components of cells, including DNA, lipids, and protein,
resulting in cellular damage.”
Copyright © 2012 ProHealth, Inc.
http://www.prohealth.com/library/print.cfm?libid=17109
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Joined: 12/6/2011
Posts: 3326
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Thanks, onward. I've been taking large doses of Vitamin C and E for decades, in addition to other supplements and minerals, and Q10 for the last 3 years. It may be part of the reason why my symptoms did not appear until I was 63, instead of my 40's.
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Joined: 12/12/2011
Posts: 5175
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Thanks, too, for this very useful study, Onward. A recent study suggesting that Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Coenzyme Q, and alpha lipoic acid were ineffective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease had a series of design flaws and omissions. Some headlines following the study said that not just the above antioxidants were ineffective against Alzheimer's disease but that all antioxidants were ineffective against the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, the study produced better results with antioxidants in the reduction of levels of amyloid plaques and tau hyperphosphorylation then in the group just receiving acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (such as Aricept)
http://mikemutzel.com/2012/03/21/digging-deeper-on-antioxidants-for-alzheimers-disease/
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