title: Effects of vitamin E on cognitive performance during ageing and in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that primarily protects cells from damage associated with oxidative stress caused by free radicals. The brain is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, which increases during ageing and is considered a major contributor to neurodegeneration. High plasma vitamin E levels were repeatedly associated with better cognitive performance. Due to its antioxidant properties, the ability of vitamin E to prevent or delay cognitive decline has been tested in clinical trials in both ageing population and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The difficulty in performing precise and uniform human studies is mostly responsible for the inconsistent outcomes reported in the literature. Therefore, the benefit of vitamin E as a treatment for neurodegenerative disorders is still under debate. In this review, we focus on those studies that mostly have contributed to clarifying the exclusive function of vitamin E in relation to brain ageing and AD.
authors.affiliation: DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., R & D Human Nutrition and Health, P.O. Box 2676, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland. giorgio.lafata@dsm.com.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Fata
authors.affiliation: DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., R & D Human Nutrition and Health, P.O. Box 2676, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland. peter.weber@dsm.com.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: DSM Nutritional Products Ltd., R & D Human Nutrition and Health, P.O. Box 2676, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland. hasan.mohajeri@dsm.com.
authors.forename: M Hasan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Mohajeri
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014810:Vitamin E