Long-Term Use of E Supplements May Reduce ALS Risk

BOSTONLong-term consumption of vitamin E supplements may reduce the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)known as Lou Gehrigs disease, according to a review of data from five prospective cohort studies (Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Mar 15;173(6):595-602. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwq416). A research team from Harvard University pooled information from the Nurses' Health Study (1976-2004), the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2004), the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort (1992-2004), the Multiethnic Cohort Study (1993-2005), and the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study (1995-2005). ALS deaths were identified through the National Death Index. ALS is a progressive neurological disease in which the nerve cells that control movement progressively degenerate, which is diagnosed in approximately 5,000 U.S. adults annually.

Out of 1,055,546 participants, 805 developed ALS. While overall use of vitamin E supplements was not associated with ALS, data from cohorts that included information on duration of vitamin E supplement use showed ALS rates declined with increasing years of supplement use. Compared with non-users, the multivariable adjusted relative risk was 1.05 among users of less than one year; 0.77 among those subjects using vitamin E supplements for two to four years; and 0.64 among people taking vitamin E supplements for more than five years. The benefit persisted even after adjusting for other lifestyle factors such as weight, smoking habits, diet and exercise.