Vitamin E lack linked to memory loss
NEW YORK, Jun 29, 1999 (Reuters Health) -- Researchers have found a
connection between poor memory and low blood levels of vitamin E in an
elderly population.
People who ate inadequately or skipped meals also had greater memory
loss than those who ate regularly, according to the study, published in
the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Dietary changes may be a way of easing the problem, suggest the
researchers, headed by Dr. Anthony J. Perkins of the Regenstrief
Institute for Health Care and the Indiana University Center for Aging
Research in Indianapolis.
The investigators examined the association between blood levels of
antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and E, and selenium, and memory in
a multiethnic population of senior citizens.
Antioxidants help provide protection against free radical damage. Free
radicals, produced during normal metabolic processes, are thought to
cause oxidative stress.
``Oxidative stress has been implicated both in the aging process and in
the pathological changes associated with Alzheimer's disease,'' note
Perkins and his colleagues.
The researchers examined 4,809 people aged 60 or older between 1988 and
1994. They conducted two simple memory tests, blood tests, and gathered
information on the subjects' backgrounds.
Overall, 7% of the group had poor memory. These people were at least
twice as likely to report problems managing their money or preparing
meals.
Among those with vitamin E levels lower than 4.8 per unit of
cholesterol, 11% had poor memory. In contrast, just 4% of people with
levels higher than 7.2 had memory problems.
``Increasing levels of vitamin E were associated with better memory
performance for this ethnically diverse elderly population,'' the study
authors write.
Among those who said they did not eat enough food or skipped meals,
almost 20% had poor memory, as opposed to 7% among people who ate
regularly.
The study findings link vitamin E from diet, rather than from
supplements, to memory. The researchers report that they found no
connection between the other antioxidants and memory loss.
But the research team also notes that because the study did not look at
causes, ``we do not know if low (blood) levels of vitamin E preceded the
onset of poor memory or that low levels of vitamin E are a result of
having poor memory.''
Most previous studies have not found a link between vitamin deficiencies
and memory. However, the researchers noted, many of these studies had a
limited range of subjects who were mostly Caucasian, well-educated and
higher income levels -- all factors linked to better memory retention.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology 1999;150:37-44.
Copyright © 1999 Reuters Limited.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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