TUESDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Older people with low levels of vitamin E may face a greater risk of decline in physical functioning, according to research published in the Jan. 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Benedetta Bartali, Ph.D., of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and colleagues analyzed data from 698 Italians with a mean age of 73.7 at baseline. The researchers measured subjects' nutrient levels and assessed their physical function with the Short Physical Performance Battery tests of walking speed, repeated chair rises and standing balance. The main outcome measure was loss of at least one point in the physical performance score at the three-year follow-up.
Among the nutrients measured -- which also included vitamins B12, B6, D, and folic acid and iron -- only vitamin E was associated with a decline in physical function (odds ratio 1.62 for the lowest alpha-tocopherol quartile compared to the other three quartiles combined).
"At least three different mechanisms may explain the effect of low concentration of vitamin E on subsequent decline in physical function: (1) increased oxidative stress leading to muscle or DNA damage, (2) exacerbation of atherosclerosis or other pathologic conditions, and (3) development of neurodegenerative disorders. Although a low concentration of other micronutrients could potentially play a role in decline of physical function through alternative mechanisms, we could not establish associations in the current study between vitamin B12, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin D, or iron and subsequent decline in physical function," the authors write.
Abstract
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