Vitamin E intervention ‘could be crucial’ against Parkinson’s disease prevalence

The cross-sectional study investigated the association of dietary vitamin E intake with PD among adults over the age of 40, with the authors from Guangdong, China concluding that vitamin E intake was negatively associated with the risk of PD and that “ensuring sufficient dietary vitamin E levels could be crucial in lowering the risk of Parkinson’s disease”.

PD, the prevalent progressive neurodegenerative condition, currently affects millions worldwide​ and is expected to double  in the next two decades due to the ageing population​. 

Various factors such as genetics, environment and age have been shown to contribute to PD’s pathogenesis. 

The disease is characterised by​ the loss of dopaminergic neurones, the formation of Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra​ (a critical brain region for the production of dopamine) and involvement of α-synuclein, accompanied by neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction​. 

Dopaminergic neurones have been shown to be particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress​, and antioxidants, including those in food, have been identified​ as potentially neuroprotective against PD.  Notably, vitamin E, an antioxidant inhibiting lipid peroxidation, is suggested to play a crucial role​ in PD treatment. 

However, the authors of the new study noted that conflicting findings​ exist regarding the association between vitamin E intake and PD progression, calling for further investigation into the potential of vitamin E for PD prevention.