Vitamin E supplements reduce the risk of ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease causes degeneration and death of nerve cells. Harvard researchers found that people who used vitamin E supplements for over ten years experienced less than half the risk of dying of ALS than those who did not use vitamin E supplements.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is more commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease". ALS is a progressive disease that causes degeneration of some of the largest of all nerve cells, called motor neurons. The disease causes the motor neurons to degenerate and eventually die. New research has found an association between the use of vitamin E supplements and a lower incidence of this degenerative disease.

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health followed 957,740 participants in the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study II for ten years. A follow-up of 170,000 subjects in 1992 showed that people who used vitamin E supplements for over ten years experienced less than half the risk of dying of ALS than those who did not report using vitamin E supplements.

Although vitamin E was the only nutrient examined that was associated with a lower risk of ALS, it is not possible to rule out interactions with other nutrients or factors, since people who use vitamin E also tend to use other supplements and may share other healthy lifestyle habits.

Ann Neurol 2005 Jan;57(1):104-10

Supplemental magnesium intake may be associated with reduced heart disease risk

Most Americans consume inadequate levels of magnesium and these suboptimal intakes of magnesium may contribute to an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Current dietary guidelines recommend a minimum magnesium intake of 310-420 mg per day to maintain health and reduce cardiovascular risk. Typical U.S. adults fall short on dietary intake of this important mineral, as more than two-thirds (68%) are not meeting these minimum recommendations. Even worse, 19% of adults are consuming less than 50% of the RDA.

Researchers have recently determined that dietary magnesium consumption is associated with C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation. An increased CRP level, is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

In a large sample of normally healthy U.S. adults, it was determined that those who consumed less than the RDA of magnesium were 48%-75% more likely to have elevated CRP levels than adults who consumed levels higher than the RDA. Overweight adults over age 40 consuming less than 50% RDA for magnesium were more than twice as likely to have elevated CRP as adults getting more than the RDA.

Given the above, Researchers have concluded that inadequate intakes of magnesium may be contributing to cardiovascular disease incidence.

Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 24, No. 3, 166- 171 (2005).

Multivitamin use lowers preeclampsia risk

High blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia) can result in serious complications for the mother and child. Results from a new study show that regular use of a multivitamin supplement in the months before and during pregnancy may reduce the risk of preeclampsia by as much as 71%.

Lean women who used multivitamins before and during their pregnancies reduced the risk of preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy characterized by elevated blood pressure, swelling of the extremities and protein in the urine. If untreated, the condition can progress to eclampsia, which can lead to seizures, coma, and the death of the mother or child.

The study involved 1,835 pregnant women enrolled in the Pregnancy Exposures and Preeclampsia Prevention Study. All women were at less than 16 weeks' gestation and were asked whether they regularly used multivitamins or prenatal vitamins in the past six months. Women that reported using a multivitamin or prenatal during the previous six months had a 45 percent lower risk of preeclampsia than non-users. The reduction in risk was more significant among lean women. When lean women were analyzed separately, those who used multivitamins had a 71 percent lower risk of preeclampsia than nonusers.

These results suggest that regular use of a multivitamin supplement in the months before and during pregnancy may help to prevent preeclampsia, particularly among lean women.

Am J Epidemiol. 2006 Jun 13; [Epub ahead of print]

Multivitamins protect against B1 deficiency and may decrease severity of congestive heart failure

More than one-third of heart patients hospitalized for heart failure are deficient in thiamin (vitamin B1). Regular use of a multivitamin can protect against thiamin deficiency and may reduce the severity of congestive heart failure.

It has been recently reported that approximately one out of three patients hospitalized with heart failure have deficient levels of thiamin, also known as vitamin B1. The cause and effect relationships are complex. Congestive heart failure patients may be at increased risk for thiamin deficiency due to increased urine thiamin excretion, disease severity, malnutrition, and advanced age. In turn, thiamin deficiency itself may worsen existing heart failure.

Researchers measured thiamin levels among 100 heart failure patients and compared them with measurements of 50 healthy subjects. They found a deficiency of the vitamin in 33 percent of the heart failure patients compared to 12 percent of those without the disease.

It has been observed that heart failure may increase the body's need for certain nutrients, so even individuals with healthy diets may still come up short on vitamin B1. Researchers noted that a relatively small dose of thiamin from a multivitamin was protective against developing thiamin deficiency and may decrease disease severity in those with congestive heart failure.

J Am Coll Cardiol, 2006; 47:354-361.