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Vitamins, trace elements, and antioxidant status in dementia disorders
1Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK. n.tabet@iop.kcl.ac.uk
International Psychogeriatrics
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Dietary intake of vitamins and trace elements may impact antioxidant status in vascular dementia (VaD) patients. However, this link was not found in Alzheimer
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Nutritional Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Antioxidants like vitamins C and E are explored for dementia treatment.
- The relationship between dietary intake of vitamins/trace elements and antioxidant status in dementia is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between dietary intake of vitamins and trace elements and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in dementia patients.
Main Methods:
- Assessed dietary intake of vitamins and trace elements in Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients.
- Measured blood levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC).
- Correlated dietary intake with TAC and antioxidant enzyme activities.
Main Results:
- Severe AD patients showed decreased dietary intake of most vitamins and trace elements.
- No significant difference in TAC levels was observed across dementia groups.
- A correlation between intake of vitamin B1, B12, zinc, selenium and TAC was found only in the VaD group.
- Dietary intake did not correlate with antioxidant enzyme activities (Cu/Zn SOD, GPx) in any group.
Conclusions:
- Dietary vitamin and trace element influence on antioxidant status appears limited to VaD patients.
- Further clinical trials are recommended to evaluate antioxidant supplementation in VaD.