May 8, 1997
Contact:
Mary Burnette
202-872-1488
[email protected]
VITAMIN E: THE GIFT OF HEALTH FOR MOTHER'S DAY
Still looking for that perfect Mother's Day gift? What could be more perfect than the gift of better health? Two new studies published recently in medical journals demonstrate that vitamin E can improve the immune system and delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer's in the elderly.
A study published in the April 24 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine showed that high intakes of vitamin E may slow important functional signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease by about 7 months. This included delaying entry into nursing homes, for people with moderately severe Alzheimer's disease, and decreased loss of daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and handling money, by about 25 percent. Subjects in the study, supported by the National Institute on Aging, were given 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin E daily.
"Physicians may want to think about using vitamin E with their patients with moderately severe disease, like those in our study," said Mary Sano, Ph.D., of Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, the study's principal investigator. Alzheimer's afflicts 4 million Americans at a cost of $100 billion per year.
Another study published May 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that 200 mg of vitamin E improves the immune system in the elderly. The authors conclude, "Since age-associated decline in immune response is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in the elderly and is widely observed, recommendations to increase the intake of vitamin E for the elderly should be considered."
These studies add further support to the growing evidence that vitamin E plays a multifaceted role in reducing the risk of several chronic diseases among America's diverse population groups. An epidemiologic study of 11,000 individuals, conducted by the National Institute on Aging, and published last year, showed that vitamin E supplements can lower total mortality rates by 27 percent, reduce the risk of heart disease mortality by 41 percent, and decrease cancer mortality by 22 percent. The Nurses' Health Study of 87,000 women found a 40 percent reduction in heart disease in the group with the highest level of vitamin E intake. And lastly, the Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study of 2,000 men and women showed the risk of non-fatal heart attack dropped 75 percent in those who took 400 to 800 IU of vitamin E supplement daily.
So along with that box of candy or bouquet of flowers, give your mother a bottle of vitamin E with a note that says "Take these every day Mom, so we can celebrate Mother's Day together for many more years." It's a gift that shows you care about improving your mother's health and her quality of life. She deserves it!
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