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Wondering, what form of vitamin E was used in the New England Journal
of Medicine (NEJM) study? Synthetic? Natural? Did it include one or
more tocopherol forms? Tocotrienols?
There seems to be some evidence to suggest that more than one form of
vitamin E may be important in protecting against Alzheimer's disease
development:
If only an alpha-tocopherol supplement was used in the NEJM
study, that seems as though it could have significantly
influenced the study results. Gamma tocopherol is the form of vitamin E
found in highest concentration in foods.
Recent research suggests that high amounts of alpha tocopherol may
actually inhibit gamma tocopherol availability:
Given this potential, as well as gamma-tocopherol's unique
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (e.g., its ability to inhibit
cyclooxygenase and neutralize reactive nitrogen species -- the latter
especially relevant in protecting nervous system cells), might it make
more sense to study the effects of a more balanced form of vitamin E on
Alzheimer's disease, rather than the more common alpha-tocopherol
formulations?
Vitamin E Form & Effect on Alzheimer's Disease
Wondering, what form of vitamin E was used in the New England Journal
of Medicine (NEJM) study? Synthetic? Natural? Did it include one or
more tocopherol forms? Tocotrienols?
There seems to be some evidence to suggest that more than one form of
vitamin E may be important in protecting against Alzheimer's disease
development:
Relation of the tocopherol forms to incident Alzheimer disease and to
cognitive change
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/81/2/508
If only an alpha-tocopherol supplement was used in the NEJM
study, that seems as though it could have significantly
influenced the study results. Gamma tocopherol is the form of vitamin E
found in highest concentration in foods.
Recent research suggests that high amounts of alpha tocopherol may
actually inhibit gamma tocopherol availability:
Gamma-Tocopherol, the major form of vitamin E in the US diet,
deserves more attention
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/74/6/714
Given this potential, as well as gamma-tocopherol's unique
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (e.g., its ability to inhibit
cyclooxygenase and neutralize reactive nitrogen species -- the latter
especially relevant in protecting nervous system cells), might it make
more sense to study the effects of a more balanced form of vitamin E on
Alzheimer's disease, rather than the more common alpha-tocopherol
formulations?
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests