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Anti-Aging Therapy
Fasting / low-calorie program on Adriatic Sea Coast
Folates more effective in limiting Alzheimer's disease risk than other
 

21.08.2005
Folates more effective in limiting Alzheimer's disease risk than other nutrients

(News, Aug 15, 2005)

Adults who eat the daily recommended allowance of folates - B-vitamin nutrients found in oranges, legumes, leafy green vegetables and folic acid supplements - significantly reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to results from a long-term National Institute on Aging study of diet and brain aging. The study also found that folates appear to have more impact on reducing Alzheimer's risk than vitamin E, a noted antioxidant, and other nutrients considered for their effect as a brain-aging deterrent.

Maria Corrada and Dr. Claudia Kawas of UC Irvine's Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia led the effort, which analyzed the diets of non-demented men and women age 60 and older. They compared the food nutrient and supplement intake of those who later developed Alzheimer's disease to the intake of those who did not develop the disease. It is the largest study to date to report on the association between folate intake and Alzheimer's risk and to analyze antioxidants and B vitamins simultaneously. Results appear in the inaugural issue of the quarterly peer-reviewed research journal, Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
Ultimately, 57 of the original 579 participants developed Alzheimer's disease. But the researchers found that those with higher intake of folates, vitamin E and vitamin B6 shared lower comparative rates of the disease. And when the three vitamins were analyzed together, only folates were associated with a significantly decreased risk. In turn, no association was found between vitamin C, carotenoids (such as beta-carotene) or vitamin B-12 intake and decreased Alzheimer's risk.
"The participants who had intakes at or above the 400-microgram recommended dietary allowance of folates had a 55-percent reduction in risk of developing Alzheimer's," said Corrada, an assistant professor of neurology. "But most people who reached that level did so by taking folic acid supplements, which suggests that many people do not get the recommended amounts of folates in their diets."
Folates have already been proven to reduce birth defects, and research suggests that they are beneficial to warding off heart disease and strokes. Although folates are abundant in foods such as liver, kidneys, yeast, fruits (like bananas and oranges), leafy vegetables, whole-wheat bread, lima beans, eggs and milk, they are often destroyed by cooking or processing. Because of their link to reducing birth defects, folates have been added to grain products sold in the U.S. since 1998. But even with this supplement, it is thought that many Americans have folate-deficient diets. Recent research is beginning to show relationships between folates and brain aging.

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