Folic Acid a Day Just Might Keep Alzheimer’s Away
Professor David J. Demko, PhD
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
Everyone knows about Disneyland and Disney World, but most people cannot figure out why Mickey Mouse, who is now pushing 60, nevers seems to age. Is it because Mickey is eating a diet rich in folic acid? Could be. Recent mouse experiments suggest that folic acid could play an essential role in protecting the brain against the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to scientists at the National Institute on Aging. Okay, it is a big leap between mouse and man. But the NIA is now considering human studies because of the promising findings. Don't rush out to shop at "Folic Acid Depot" just yet. Be cautious, talk to your doctor, and exercise your common sense. In the meantime, if you're looking for some hopeful news about Alzheimer's, read on.
In the study, published in the March 1, 2002 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, the investigators fed one group of mice with Alzheimer’s-like plaques in their brains a diet that included normal amounts of folate, while a second group was fed a diet deficient in this vitamin. The mice were bred with mutant genes that caused them to develop Alzheimer's-like symptoms such as plaques that kill brain cells.
The NIA team counted neurons in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory that is destroyed as plaques accumulate during Alzheimer’s disease. In the group of mice that were fed an adequate amount of folate, nerve cells in this brain region were able to repair damage to their DNA. But in the mice fed a folate-deficient diet, nerve cells were unable to repair this DNA damage.
According to Mark Mattson, Ph.D., chief of the NIA’s Laboratory of Neurosciences and the study’s principal investigator, these new findings suggest a possible cause-effect relationship in "degeneration of nerve cells involved in learning and memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease." People who have Alzheimer’s disease often have low levels of folic acid in their blood, but it is not clear whether this is a result of the disease or if they are simply malnourished due to their illness.
Based on emerging research, Dr. Mattson speculates consuming adequate amounts of folic acid, either in the diet or by supplementation, could be beneficial to the aging brain and help protect it against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Good sources of the vitamin include:
- green leafy vegetables,
- citrus fruits and juices,
- whole wheat bread, and
- dry beans.
Since 1998, the Food and Drug Administration has required the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, rice, and other grain products. However, because it can take a long time for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease to surface, researchers speculate it will be many years before folate supplementation in food could affect the incidence of dementia in the United States. A human clinical trial is being planned.
See related articles in AgeVenture archives.
Brain Gymnastics Help Avoid Alzheimer's
Brain Wellness Nutrition Therapy Plan
Enzyme Linked to Brain Functioning in Alzheimer's
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
BACK TO TOP
AgeVenture News Service, 21946 Pine Trace, Boca Raton, FL 33428 USA
Dr. David Demko, Editor
E-mail:newsdesk@demko.com
See the "Permission to Reprint" policy on the AgeVenture homepage.