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Dear Reader,


A friend of mine recently wondered aloud if the money he's
spending on vitamins is really worth it. Along with a daily
multivitamin, he's been taking additional supplements of several
key vitamins. So is the extra vitamin boost really necessary?

I'm going to be sending today's e-Alert to my friend to provide
this simple answer to his question: Keep taking those extra
supplements. Because although he's only 53 and in good health, a
new study indicates that two of the additional vitamins he's taking
may be laying the groundwork to help prevent the development of
Alzheimer's disease (AD) in years to come.

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Sum of the parts
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In the e-Alert "Stockholm in July" (7/24/02), I told you about a
study from Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in
which the diets of nearly 580 subjects, aged 60 or older, were
followed for more than seven years. After adjusting for gender,
education, and age (all factors that come into play with AD risk), a
diet high in vitamin E
was strongly associated with a significant reduction of Alzheimer's
risk. Intake of dietary vitamin C was somewhat useful in reducing
AD risk, but not nearly as effective as vitamin E.

Nearly two years later, another Johns Hopkins team has reported
on a similar study that specifically examines dietary supplement
intake of the antioxidant vitamins C and E.

As reported in the Archives of Neurology, researchers interviewed
more than 4,700 subjects (aged 65 or older) in Cache County,
Utah. Supplement intake was assessed, as well as the prevalence of
dementia and Alzheimer's disease, from 1995 to 1997, and again
from 1998 to 2000. The collected data showed that in the first
phase, those who took supplements of vitamins C and E combined
had a 78 percent lower risk of AD. In the second phase, the
percentage dropped to 64, but still indicated a significant level of
protection.

In addition, subjects who took a vitamin E supplement along with a
multivitamin that contained vitamin C, had a lower AD risk. But
researchers found no evidence of protection among subjects who
took vitamin C or E supplements alone (with no multivitamins), or
among subjects who took multivitamins alone, or multivitamins
with B-complex supplements (with no additional C or E).

What's significant here is the recognition that multivitamins are
useful, but that key vitamins such as C and E may deserve
additional supplementation.

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Increasing importance
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In the e-alert "Taking History" (9/18/03), I told you about research
from the University of Florida College of Nursing (UFCN) that
revealed some of the important health benefits of key antioxidant
supplements.

The lead researcher of the UFCN study, James Jessup, PhD, RN,
told the University of Florida News that when we reach our 40s,
most people begin to naturally produce fewer
amounts of antioxidants, but larger amounts of free radicals.
Therefore, it becomes progressively more difficult to get the
amounts of vitamin E necessary to fight free
radicals through diet alone.

Good dietary sources of vitamin E include spinach, eggs, nuts and
seeds, avocados, tomatoes, peaches, and blackberries. But based on
his study results, Dr. Jessup
suggests that older adults will benefit from a vitamin E
supplement, "because of its clear benefits to aging and systolic
blood pressure."

Dr. Jessup's opinion is in line with previous information I've shared
with you about vitamin E. In the e-Alert "C-ing Double" (6/12/03),
HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D.,
recommended 400 IU of vitamin E (ideally, as mixed tocopherols)
daily, as well as 200 mcg of selenium for general antioxidant
protection. And while it is possible to get too much selenium, a
range of 200-400 mcg daily is considered quite safe.

In the e-alert "Multi-Talented" (4/23/03), Dr. Spreen explained
how the low amounts of vitamin C found in most multi-vitamins
should be considered only the start of the supplementation of this
important nutrient. As Dr. Spreen pointed out in that e-Alert: "The
amount of vitamin C in a supplement is far less than I'd want a
person to take. I nearly always start with a minimum of 1000
milligrams 2x/day."

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Clear thinking
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My friend is currently taking 1,500 mg of vitamin C and 500 IU of
vitamin E as mixed tocopherols each day. He doesn't believe that
these additional vitamins necessarily make him feel any healthier
on a day-to-day basis, but – one day at a time – he may be giving
his body and brain the nourishment that could help keep his
thought processes clear and lucid as he moves into his later years.

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