Folate May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

By Patti Connor
WebMD Medical News

Aug. 2005 -- Diets high in folate may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's
disease.
During a nine-year study, researchers showed that older adults whose diets
were high in folate reduced their risk of Alzheimer's disease by half compared
with those whose diets contain less than the Recommended Dietary Allowances
(RDA).
The study appea rs in the inaugural issue of Alzheimer's and Dementia: the
Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys
memory and the ability to think and reason. An estimated 4 million people in
the U.S. have dementia, most with Alzheimer's disease. By 2050, that number
could be as high as 16 million, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
More Folate Needed
Using information gathered from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging,
researchers identified the relationship between diet and Alzheimer's disease
risk.
They analyzed the diets of 579 volunteers (359 men, 220 women) 60 and older
without Alzheimer's disease and followed them for nine years. The researchers
looked at what percentage of participants' diets contained antioxidant vitamins
(E, C, carotenoids) and B vitamins (folate, B-6, and B-12).
Between 1984 and 1991, participants provided diaries describing their diet
during a typical week. Total daily nutrient intake was estimated as the combined
intake from diet and supplements.
Healthy Diet Important
Folate has also been shown to lower blood levels of homocysteine, a risk
factor for heart disease. High homocysteine levels, as well as decreased folate
and vitamin B-12 levels, have also been associated with stroke and Alzheimer's
disease.
The American Heart Association does not recommend widespread use of folic
acid supplements to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. They recommend a
healthy, well-balanced diet that includes at least five servings of fruits
and vegetables a day.
Foods rich in folate include oranges and bananas, leafy green vegetables,
asparagus, broccoli, liver, and many types of beans and peas, as well as
fortified bread.
During the follow-up period 57 participants developed Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers then compared the nutrient intake of those who developed
Alzheimer's disease with that of those who did not develop the disease. They show
that those with a higher dietary intake of folate had an almost 60% lower rate
of the disease.
They concluded that older adults whose total folate intake (diet and
supplement) equaled or exceeded the 400 microgram RDA reduced their chances of
developing Alzheimer's disease by 55%.
No association was seen between intakes of vitamin C, carotenoids, or vitamin
B-12.
When analyzed separately a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease was seen among
people taking "at or above" the RDA for vitamin E or vitamin B-6; however,
the protective effects of these vitamins disappeared when folate, vitamin E, and
vitamin B-6 were all taken into account together.
"Although folates appear to be more beneficial than other nutrients, the
primary message of our study should be that overall healthy diets seem to have an
impact on limiting Alzheimer's disease risk," says Maria Corrada, assistant
professor of neurology at the University of California in Irvine, in a news
release.

SOURCES: News release, Alzheimer's Association

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