Supplemental support - vitamin E can reduce some ataxia symptoms - Brief Article

American Fitness, Sept-Oct, 2002 by D.K. Howe

According to research, vitamin E supplements can reduce symptoms of some types of hereditary ataxia (i.e., neurological disorders that result in uncontrollable physical movements and difficulty walking). The study was performed on mutant mice who lacked the gene necessary to maintain normal vitamin E levels. One group of mice was given vitamin E supplements, the other was not.

After one year, the mice who did not receive vitamin E supplements developed ataxia symptoms that worsened with age, while those who received the supplements did not develop ataxia. Researchers concluded, "ataxia is the result of a highly oxidized state in the brain and even small amounts of supplemental vitamin E can protect the brain from free-radical stress and prevent symptoms of ataxia."