Vitamin E may help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease

More on the care and feeding of brain neurotransmitters

In the e-Alert “Fat in the Hat” (7/14/05) I told you about dietary factors that may help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD). Now we can add vitamin E to that list.

In a study published last month in The Lancet Neurology, researchers at McGill University in Montreal conducted a meta-analysis on eight studies that examined the effects of dietary beta carotene and vitamins C and E on PD risk.

The results indicate that vitamin C and beta carotene probably offer no protection against PD. But moderate-to-high intake of vitamin E was associated with a lowered PD risk.

The authors of the study write: “These results require confirmation in randomized controlled trials.”

Hmm. Seems like if the McGill team just popped over to Boston and dropped in on the BWH team to borrow some data

Sources:
“Intake of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Carotenoids and the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis” The Lancet Neurology, Vol. 4, No. 6, June 2005, sciencedirect.com