Category: Infections

Vitamin E Against Alzheimer’s Disease and Colds

Claus Hancke

October 11, 2004

The World’s leading experts in vitamin E participated in a congress in New York in the spring which was sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences. The last time such a congress was held was in 1989 and some of the news have now been described in the October issue of the Academy’s scientific magazine.

It is astounding that we are still discussing nature’s purpose of Vitamin E. It can actually be difficult to find obvious deficiency symptoms in humans. However, it is certain that the vitamin is highly important. All higher animals – including fish – produce the protein TTT with the single task of transporting vitamin E in the blood. Natures probably would not have gone to such trouble of making a transport protein for a substance that the body could easily do without.

“When nature has chosen exactly alpha-tocopherol from the thousands of antioxidants in our surroundings, there must be a reason”, declared Angelo Azzi of the University of Bern. Vitamin E slows down the blood platelets when they are about to clog and form blood clots.

This is significant to the tendency of other cells to stick to each other, divide, and to send signals to each other. Furthermore, it increases the production of nitric oxide (NO) which is an important signalling molecule that relaxes the blood vessels and thereby lowers the blood pressure. How can we translate these fundamental abilities into something we can see and feel, though?

The participants at the congress presented results showing that Vitamin E delays Alzheimer’s disease. According to a French study, the combination of vitamin C and vitamin E can prevent the disease from occuring in the first place. The same combination of vitamins also prevents pre-eclampsia. Finally, a randomized trial has shown that vitamin E reduces the frequency of colds in elderly people by 25%.

A constant controversial question is why only a single randomized trial have been able to show that vitamin E prevents coronary thrombosis when there are so many other indications of this effect. The explanation could be that synthetic Vitamin E has often been used instead of natural vitamin E. Synthetic Vitamin E consists of eight different substances of which only a single one is present in nature.

Another reason might be that the Vitamin E has not been supplemented with vitamin C; automatic supplementation with Vitamin C happens in animals because of their ability to produce Vitamin C themselves.

However, the reason might also be that the participants of almost all the studies had been severely atherosclerotic from the start. “Once calcification has damaged an artery, the damage will heal very poorly”, professor Meydani of Tufts University, USA. Vitamin E is probably better at preventing than curing diseases!

Professor Maret Traber from Oregon estimates that 70 – 80% of all adults get less than the recommended 30 mg. of Vitamin E weekly. Her advice is to live healthily and that there is no harm in taking an extra Vitamin E supplement.
The exact reason for its beneficial effect will perhaps not be elucidated for another 15 years.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Hopkin K. New York Academy of Sciences Magazine 2004; October: 4-6.

www.nyas.org/publications
www.iom.dk

Vitamin E Prevents Colds

Claus Hancke

September 13, 2004

By taking a modest vitamin E supplement, the elderly can be spared every fifth cold they would normally get. This is the result of the best randomized trial in this field so far. It was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA.

The study was carried out by a university-based team of researchers in Boston belonging under the American Ministry of Agriculture. In charge of this group was Simin Meydani, a professor and specialist in nutrition and ageing. She has previously established that it is not belief but reality that Vitamin E stimulates the T cells of the immune system.

The study included 617 people in 33 nursing homes and they were all above 65 years old. Half of them were given a supplement of 200 I.U. of Vitamin E every day for a year. The other half were given placebo and during the study, it was calculated which group suffered the fewest respiratory infections.

It turned out that the ones who were given vitamin E had fewer infections than the others and particularly the number of colds were reduced by a statistical significance of 20%. There was no effect, however, on the frequency of pneumonia.

Meydani emphasized that even though only every fifth cold was prevented, the result is still important. Vitamin E is completely harmless and colds are the cause of 30% of all absence due to illness in the US.

Another perspective is the possibility that Vitamin E perhaps has a particular effect on viral infections like colds but not on diseases like pneumonia which are mostly caused by bacteria. Based on this, other researchers wanted to know if vitamin E can have an importance in the fight against AIDS, where it is exactly the T cells that are being targeted, but Meydani herself did not want to speak on this subject.

The results were originally displayed in May of this year at a closed scientific symposium on vitamin E arranged by the New York Academy of Science. Almost all of the world’s élite in vitamin E research participated.

Among other things, also the highly sensational findings were displayed that a combination of Vitamin C and Vitamin E supplements reduces the aggravation of Alzheimer’s disease by 50% and that the same combination prevents eclampsia in every other pregnant woman who are at risk of developing this serious disease.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Vitamin E and Respiratory Tract Infections in Elderly Nursing Home Residents A Randomized Controlled Trial Simin Nikbin Meydani, DVM, PhD; Lynette S. Leka, BS; Basil C. Fine, MD; Gerard E. Dallal, PhD; Gerald T. Keusch, MD; Maria Fiatarone Singh, MD; Davidson H. Hamer, MD JAMA. 2004;292:828-836.

jama.ama-assn.org
www.iom.dk

Multivitamins May Reduce HIV Death Rate

Claus Hancke

December 12, 2003

A placebo controlled study made by scientists at the The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shows that a daily supplement of vitamins and minerals can reduce the HIV death rate. According to the scientists this may have great relevance for the treatment of HIV patients in countries which do not have access to optimal medical therapy.

The number of HIV infected persons continues to rise at a lightning speed. Worldwide, there are almost 5 million that are infected with HIV every year. In Denmark, 250-300 people are diagnosed with HIV every year, and the number is increasing. According to the AIDS Fund, there are approximately 4,500 HIV infected in Denmark, of which only 1,500 are in medical treatment.

In the latest issue of the journal AIDS, the results of a new startling study are published. 481 HIV-infected men and women participated in the study. All participants were from Thailand and none were receiving medical treatment for HIV.

The participants were divided into two groups, one of which received a placebo (cheat pill) and the other a special supplement of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The participants were followed for a total of 48 weeks, with follow-up every 12 weeks.

After 48 weeks of treatment, the results showed a significantly lower mortality in the group that received the active treatment.

“This is the first time that reduced mortality has been demonstrated by giving something as simple and cheap as multivitamins/minerals to HIV patients. It is a very strong and thought-provoking result”, says the chairman of the Vitality Council, medical specialist Dr. Claus Hancke.

Traditional medical treatment costs approx. 100,000 DK kr. per year for each patient. The treatment extends the HIV-infected person’s life on average by 6-7 years.

“Other studies have shown that multivitamins/minerals can increase the body’s resistance, and now it turns out that it also provides better survival. Further documentation needs to be on the table, but already now patient associations such as HIV-Danmark should inform their members about the result“, says Claus Hancke.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
AIDS (17 (17):2461-2469).

www.hivinfo.dk
www.iom.dk