Vitamin E and vitamin C supplement use and risk of incident Alzheimer disease

Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 1998 Sep;12(3):121-6. doi: 10.1097/00002093-199809000-00001.

Abstract

Oxidative stress may play a role in neurologic disease. The present study examined the relation between use of vitamin E and vitamin C and incident Alzheimer disease in a prospective study of 633 persons 65 years and older. A stratified random sample was selected from a disease-free population. At baseline, all vitamin supplements taken in the previous 2 weeks were identified by direct inspection. After an average follow-up period of 4.3 years, 91 of the sample participants with vitamin information met accepted criteria for the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. None of the 27 vitamin E supplement users had Alzheimer disease compared with 3.9 predicted based on the crude observed incidence among nonusers (p = 0.04) and 2.5 predicted based on age, sex, years of education, and length of follow-up interval (p = 0.23). None of the 23 vitamin C supplement users had Alzheimer disease compared with 3.3 predicted based on the crude observed incidence among nonusers (p = 0.10) and 3.2 predicted adjusted for age, sex, education, and follow-up interval (p = 0.04). There was no relation between Alzheimer disease and use of multivitamins. These data suggest that use of the higher-dose vitamin E and vitamin C supplements may lower the risk of Alzheimer disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alzheimer Disease / epidemiology
  • Alzheimer Disease / etiology
  • Alzheimer Disease / prevention & control*
  • Antioxidants / administration & dosage*
  • Ascorbic Acid / administration & dosage*
  • Boston / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Urban Population / statistics & numerical data
  • Vitamin E / administration & dosage*

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Vitamin E
  • Ascorbic Acid