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To answer your query about dietary antioxidants- The article in question reports a statistical survey of long-term food habits in 57 PD patients and 50 healthy controls. Other research on the protective value of vitamin E has had mixed results. A plausible reason for faiure of vitamin E to protect where other antioxidants such as selegiline can apparently do so is that vitamin E doesn't pass the blood-brain barrier. But a recent paper (also cited in CSR May 97) reporting a controlled trial of vitamin E in Alzheimer's patients says that it did protect. IMHO, vitamin E supplement is probably not a bad thing in general (it seems to speed healing of minor cuts and scratches); but for effect on PD, the jury's still out. Cheers, Joe J. R. Bruman (818) 789-3694 3527 Cody Road Sherman Oaks CA 91403 On Tue, 29 Apr 1997, Jamie Carnwath wrote: > To: J Bruman > > I am not aware of any evidence that vitamin supplements do any good, either > for PWP or for people in general. In the January Scientific American > article about Parkinson's, the author mentioned he was puzzled by this and > suggested that maybe higher doses were needed. Another theory is that > vitamins are less effective when they are taken separately to the > substances with which they occur in natural foods. > > There is plenty of evidence that foods containing antioxidants such as > green veg, fruit and oily fish are beneficial to people in general. I had > not previously seen any study of their effect on PWP. In your most > excellent review of scientific papers, you refer to a paper in Movement > Disorder which found that dietary antioxidants were not protective. > > Please would you clarify whether the dietary antioxidants were in the form > of vitamin supplements or in the form of natural foods high in > antioxidants. > > Does anyone know any good evidence for the benefit of antioxidants in the > form of vitamin supplements? > > Jamie Carnwath > 46/9 > [log in to unmask] > Cambridge, England >