New research suggests that alpha tocepherol (fat-soluble Vitamin E and antioxidant), may slow functional decline; problems with daily activities such as shopping, preparing meals, planning, and traveling, in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease and decrease caregiver burden.
Vitamin E did not show delay of cognitive or memory deterioration in the research.
“Since the cholinesterase inhibitors [galantamine, donepezil, rivastigmine], we have had very little to offer patients with mild-to-moderate dementia,” said Mary Sano, PhD, trial co-investigator, and professor in the department of psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and director of research at the James J. Peters Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, Bronx, New York. “This trial showed that vitamin E delays progression of functional decline by 19% per year, which translates into 6.2 months benefit over placebo.”
The clinical trial investigators believe vitamin E can be recommended as a treatment strategy, based on the double-blind randomized controlled trial.