http://data.spotlighthealth.com/nasp/faxwatch/msarticle.asp?article_id=241

July 11, 2001

Women who have a high intake of antioxidants, such as vitamin C or vitamin E, may not have a reduced risk of MS, according to an analysis of two studies.

The authors recorded the occurrence of definite and probable MS in two studies of women who completed a questionnaire about the types of food they consumed. One study included 81,683 women who were followed for 12 years; the second study consisted of 95,056 women who were followed for six years. A total of 214 cases of MS were reported.

“We found no evidence that higher intakes of specific dietary carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, and fruits and vegetables were associated with reduced risk of MS,” the researchers wrote. They added that the “use of vitamins C and E supplements and multivitamins was also unrelated to [the] risk of MS.”

Adjustments made for possible risk factors of MS, including age, the latitude of a patient’s birthplace, or smoking status, also had minimal effects on the risk of MS in these women.

“[W]hether or not antioxidants may benefit women with MS cannot be assessed from these data,” the authors concluded.

The new study appears in the July 10th issue of Neurology.