Folate May Lower Alzheimer's Risk

Healthy Diet With Fruits, Vegetables May Reduce Chance By Half

(WebMD)  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 percent 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 percent.

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. Maria Corrada, assistant professor of neurology, University of California, Irvine. News release, American Heart Association. Alzheimer's Society. Linus Pauling Institute.