Antioxidant Study in Alzheimer’s Raises Red Flag

More killer antioxidants.

The antioxidant combination of vitamin E, vitamin C, and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) did not alter cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers related to amyloid and tau pathology in a 16-week study of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD).

The antioxidant combination led to a relatively small reduction in CSF F2-isoprostane level, suggesting a decrease in oxidative stress in the brain, but it was also associated with accelerated cognitive decline on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

"It is unclear whether the relatively small reduction CSF F2-isoprostane level seen in this study may lead to clinical benefits in AD," the authors say. In addition, the more rapid MMSE score decline "raises a caution and indicates that cognitive performance would need to be assessed if a longer-term clinical trial of this antioxidant combination is considered," they add.

The study also failed to find any beneficial effect of high-dose coenzyme Q (CoQ) on CSF biomarkers. "These results do not support further clinical trial development of CoQ in AD," the authors say.

Good riddance.