Scientists from Yeungnam University found that vitamin E may help protect against Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.
Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking.
Although there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, medicines, surgical treatment, and other therapies can often relieve some symptoms.
Previous research has suggested that dietary vitamins C and E may help prevent Parkinson’s disease. However, several human studies have reported controversial results.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is necessary for the growth, development, and repair of all body tissues.
It’s involved in many body functions, including the formation of collagen, absorption of iron, the proper functioning of the immune system, wound healing, and the maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.
Vitamin E is a nutrient that’s important to vision, reproduction, and the health of your blood, brain, and skin. Vitamin E also has antioxidant properties.
In the current review study, researchers aimed to examine the effect of vitamins C and E on the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
They did a comprehensive search to find published studies about vitamin C and E and Parkinson’s risk.
The team included studies that reported (1) intake of vitamins C and E using validated methods; (2) assessment of the relative risk of Parkinson’s disease; and (3) patients with Parkinson’s disease identified by a neurologist, hospital records, or death certificates.
A total of 12 studies were included in the review. The researchers did not find a strong risk reduction in the high vitamin C intake group compared to the low intake group.
On the other hand, they found the high vitamin E intake group had a much lower risk of developing of Parkinson’s disease than the low intake group.
Based on the findings, the team concludes that vitamin E might have a protective effect against Parkinson’s disease, while vitamin C does not seem to have such an effect.
Further research needs to confirm the results and find the exact mechanism behind the benefit of vitamin E on brain health.
The research is published in Clinical Nutrition and was conducted by Min Cheol Chang et al.
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