But more research is needed to confirm any benefit. Scientists are combing the environment for clues about ways to delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease and to reduce risk of the disease. Doctors think brain inflammation occurs as one stage in the development of Alzheimer's. These substances may slow the rate of decline in people with moderately severe Alzheimer's. Vitamin E and selegiline are antioxidants and may prevent nerve cell damage by destroying toxic free radicals.
Free radicals are byproducts of normal cell metabolism.
Some scientists think free radicals are discharged by immune cells that are in the brain responding to chronic brain inflammation from Alzheimer's. The free radicals may attach to molecules in the nerve cell membrane and disrupt function. Estrogen Alzheimer's disease in older women may be related to estrogen deficiency. Estrogen may interact with nerve growth factors and delay the degeneration of neurotransmitters that facilitate memory and learning. Recent studies show that estrogen replacement after menopause can reduce a woman's risk of developing Alzheimer's by 30 percent to 40 percent.