Tuesday, April 22, 2014
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but it is possible to slow the progression of the disease. The earlier intervention begins, the better the results.
Vitamin E is known to be effective in treating advanced Alzheimer’s disease, but recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows it also helps in the early stages of the disease.
Maurice Dysken, MD, at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System studied more than 600 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease at VA centers around the country.
He divided the patients into three groups. One group got memantine, a standard treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Another group got vitamin E only. A third group got both vitamin E and memantine. All three groups were compared against patients receiving placebo.
The group getting vitamin E alone did significantly better than the other two groups, as compared against placebo.
All three groups declined cognitively, but the group receiving vitamin E alone declined the least. Those receiving memantine needed an additional 5 hours of daily caregiving at the end of about two years. Those receiving vitamin E required only an additional 3 hours of caregiving.
“For people who are in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, I think any delay in the rate of progression is meaningful and important,” Dr. Dysken said.
Last Updated: 4/22/2014