The E Advantage

In a study, those who reported getting the highest amount of vitamin E 19 milligrams a day were about 25 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease over a 10-year period.

People in the study got much of their vitamin E from processed or sat-fat foods, like butter, margarine, and mayo. Our suggestion? Get your E from healthy sources, such as nuts, seeds, veggies, plant oils, and nut butters.

The bonus with nuts and seeds is that you also get a shot of hunger-quelling protein. Not to mention some heart-healthy fats.

Mechanics of a Memory Keeper. Vitamin E helps protect cells against oxidative damage, a helpful thing when it comes to foiling the onset and development of dementia and Alzheimer's. Animal research also suggests that E may help inhibit the negative effects of beta-amyloid a type of protein fragment that turns into Alzheimer's-triggering brain plaques.