Vitamin E will help to keep fit in old age
Scientists at Yale University, working under the guidance of Dr. Benedetta Bartali, examined 698 people aged 65 years and older, randomly selected from the population registers of two municipalities in the vicinity of Florence (Italy). As part of the survey, the authors analyzed the blood content of micronutrients such as iron and vitamins B6, B9, B12, D and E, and assessed the degree of deterioration of the physical condition of the subjects for three years. To do this, an objective criterion was used, including three indicators: walking speed, the ability to repeatedly get up from a chair and maintain balance while standing.
It turned out that among the studied compounds, only the level of vitamin E is reliably correlated with physical condition. The deterioration of physical condition in people with low levels of vitamin E in the blood occurred 1.62 times faster than in people with high levels of this vitamin.
According to the authors, it is unlikely that vitamin E is a marker of poor nutrition, because the results obtained did not depend on the amount of calories entering the body, and low levels of other trace elements and vitamins did not significantly affect the physical fitness of the participants. The authors believe that the intake of vitamin E with food can slow down the deterioration of the physical condition of the elderly. It is not yet possible to talk about the positive effect of vitamin E-containing dietary supplements, since only one of the study participants took them.
Bartali emphasizes that vitamin E was the only antioxidant studied in the work, so further research is needed to identify the effects of other antioxidants.
As an antioxidant, vitamin E prevents or reduces the spread of oxygen free radicals in the body, which play a role in the deterioration of physical condition. Neutralization of free radicals reduces the amount of damage to muscle tissue and DNA and prevents the development of a number of pathological conditions, including atherosclerosis. However, the authors believe that it is necessary to continue studying this issue in order to identify the mechanisms involved in the deterioration of physical condition associated with low vitamin E content in the blood.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily.
29.01.2008