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An update on using vitamin E in Alzheimer's disease
Anatol Kontush1, Svetlana Schekatolina
1INSERM Unité 551, Pavillon Benjamin Delessert, Hôpital de la Pitié, 83 boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75651 Paris Cedex 13, France +33 1 42177976 ; +33 1 45828198 ; kontush@chups.jussieu.fr.
Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery
|March 14, 2013
Summary
Vitamin E supplementation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) increases its levels and reduces oxidative stress. However, evidence for its benefit in AD is conflicting, and it is not recommended for prevention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Gerontology
Background:
- Oxidative stress is central to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis.
- Low vitamin E levels are common in AD patients.
- Vitamin E, a major brain antioxidant, may offer neuroprotection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of vitamin E in Alzheimer's disease.
- To determine if vitamin E supplementation impacts AD progression or oxidative stress.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of PubMed and Medline databases.
- Analysis of English-language publications from 1966 to 2007.
- Review of clinical interventional and observational studies on vitamin E and AD.
Main Results:
- Vitamin E supplementation elevates vitamin E levels in AD patients.
- Supplementation reduces biological markers of oxidative stress.
- Clinical studies show contradictory outcomes regarding vitamin E's benefit in AD.
Conclusions:
- Current data do not conclusively demonstrate vitamin E's benefit in Alzheimer's disease.
- Vitamin E is not sufficiently proven for primary or secondary AD prevention.
- Future use of vitamin E supplementation in AD warrants caution.
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