July 27, 1999 – Researchers have just linked low levels of vitamin E in blood plasma to memory problems in older people. People who skipped meals or did not eat adequately also had a greater decrease in memory than people who ate regularly.
Researchers examined the relationship between levels of blood plasma antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and E, and memory in a multiethnic elderly population. According to Dr. Anthony J. Perkins, attached to the Indiana University Center for Aging Research (Indianapolis) and director of the project, oxidative stress is involved as much in the aging process as in the pathological changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The results of the study carried out from 1988 to 1994 with 4,809 people aged 60 and over show that 7% of the group had memory problems. Among people who had a plasma vitamin E level below 4.8 per unit of cholesterol, 11% had memory problems, compared to only 4% of people who had more than 7.2 units of vitamin E. “In By increasing vitamin E levels, memory performance was improved, ”says Dr. Perkins. Researchers have not established any links between other antioxidants and memory loss.
Among people who claimed to not have enough or to skip meals, 20% had memory problems, compared to 7% among people who ate regularly.
However, because research has not investigated the origin of low blood levels of vitamin E, Dr Perkins says it is not known whether low blood levels of vitamin E precede memory problem or whether it is. is a result of low memory.
Most memory studies have never found a link between vitamin deficits and memory problems. However, as the researchers note, most of these studies were done on a small number of Caucasian, well-educated, high-income subjects, all factors related to improved memory capacity.
HealthPassport.net
Association of Antioxidants with Memory in a Multiethnic Elderly Sample Using the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Anthony J. Perkins, Hugh C. Hendrie, Christopher M. Callahan, Sujuan Gao, Frederick W. Unverzagt, Yong Xu, Kathleen S. Hall, and Siu L. Hui. American Journal of Epidemiology 1999; 150: 37-44.