Vitamin E, Selenium Supplements Won’t Curb Dementia Risk

A daily dose of vitamin E or selenium supplements won’t keep dementia at bay in older men, new research reveals.

“After an average of five years of supplementation, and up to 11 years of follow-up, we did not observe fewer new cases of dementia among men who took any of the supplements compared to neither supplement,” said study co-author Frederick Schmitt. He’s a professor with the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and the department of neurology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

“Based on these results, we do not recommend vitamin E or selenium supplements to prevent dementia at these doses,” he added. Approximately 5 million American Seniors are now living with Alzheimer’s, the study authors noted.

Between 2002 and 2008, the study enrolled slightly more than 7,500 males across the United States and Canada. All were aged 60 or older. None had a history of neurological problems, dementia, serious head injury or substance abuse.

Participants were divided into four groups: a vitamin E group; a selenium group; a combination group; and a placebo group. The supplement doses were 400 IUs of vitamin E and 200 mcg of selenium per day. The men took the supplements or the placebo for an average of about five years, the study authors said.

In the end, 325 men developed dementia at some point during the study. Of these, 71 had been in the vitamin E group, 78 in the selenium group, 91 in the combination group, and 85 in the control group.

“For consumers specifically concerned about brain health and cognition, they should beware that no scientifically rigorous studies have identified any supplement as an effective treatment or prevention for dementia,” Schmitt said.