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Folic acid supplementation may halve the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly, according to a new study
A significant correlation has been found between the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and high plasma levels of homocysteine, as well as low levels of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12.
Homocysteine is a metabolic by-product of methionine metabolism. There are numerous nutrient cofactors (including those mentioned above) involved in the methionine cycle. A deficiency of, or a metabolic dysfunction involving any of these nutrients could affect how well homocysteine is either recycled or broken down.
There is evidence that hyperhomocysteinemia may promote different types of dementia by more than one mechanism, including cerebral microangiopathy, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuronal DNA damage, enhancement of beta-amyloid peptide-mediated vascular smooth muscle toxicity, neurotoxicity and apoptosis.
In the present study, elderly people who consumed at least 400 mcg of folate each day were shown to more than halve their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. 579 non-demented volunteers from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing completed dietary diaries and recorded supplement intake for a 7-day period. The researchers followed these individuals for over 9 years and found that those who consumed at least 400 mcg of folate each day had a 55% reduction in risk of the disease.
The researchers commented that most people who reached these levels of folate intake did so by taking folic acid supplements.
Sources:
Corrada MM, Kawas CH, Hallfrisch J, et al. Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease with high folate intake: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Alzheimer’s & Dementia July 2005;1(1):11-18.
Miller AL. The methionine-homocysteine cycle and its effects on cognitive diseases. Altern Med Rev 2003;8(1):7-19.
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