Nutrients May Stop Brain Shrinkage Linked To Alzheimer’s

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June 21, 2012

The paper’s first author is Dr Gene Bowman from the Departments of Neurology and Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. He and his colleagues describe three sets of findings:

Elderly people with diets high in several vitamins or omega 3 fatty acids were less likely to have the brain shrinkage that usually accompanies Alzheimer’s disease than people whose diets were low in those nutrients.

Those whose diets were high in omega 3 fatty acids and in vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins were also more likely to score better on tests of mental ability than those whose diets were low in those nutrients.

Those whose diets were high in trans fats were more likely to have brain shrinkage and perform less well on thinking and memory tests than those whose diets were low in trans fats.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for human health but the body can’t make them. These are primarily found in fish, also an essential source of vitamin D; some plants and nut oils are also good sources of omega 3 fatty acids, which are also called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

B vitamins and antioxidants C and E are primarily found in fruits and vegetables, except for B12, which mostly comes from animal products, although it is also present in fortified breakfast cereals. Trans fats are primarily found in fast, packaged, fried and frozen food, many baked goods and margarine spreads.

The study is thought to be the first to measure several nutrient biomarkers in the blood as a way to examine links between diet and memory, thinking and brain volume.

Nutrition

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