Diets high in Omega 3 fatty acid, vitamin B, C, D and E help prevent Alzheimer's disease
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Summary: Eating oily fish and fruit/vegetables which are full of vitamins B, C, D, and E and omega-3 fatty acid may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and prevent brain shrinkage.
By David Liu HD
Thursday Dec 29, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- Brain shrinkage is commonly found in elderly people. Some brain shrinkage is pathological and can be associated with Alzheimer's disease. A new study suggests that eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acid and fruits and vegetables high in vitamins B, C, D and E may help prevent the disease that affects an estimated 5 million Americans.
The study led by researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore., and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University shows that study subjects with diets high in omega 3 fatty acid and vitamins B, C, D and E in their blood were less likely to have the brain shrinkage linked to Alzheimer's disease and had high scores on thinking and memory tests.
The study released in the Dec 28, 2011 issue of Neurology also discovers that people using diets high in trans fat, which is commonly known as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, were more likely to have brain shrinkage and lower scores on the thinking and memory tests, compared with those who had diets low in trans fat.
A study published in Archives of Neurology in February 2003 already found intake of both trans fats and saturated fats raises the risk of Alzheimer disease - the most common and terrible form of dementia. Martha Clare Morris of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging and colleagues found those who ate a diet high in trans fat were four times as likely as those who had low intake to develop Alzheimer's disease.
Trans fat has been associated with deaths from cardiovascular disease. Harvard scientists estimate that trans fat is associated with more than 100,000 deaths from heart disease each year in the United States. Trans fat is commonly used in processed foods such as packaged, fast, fried, baked, frozen food and margarine spreads.
For the current study, Maret Traber and colleagues enlisted 104 men and women at an average age of 87 who had few risk factors for memory and thinking problems and did not have Alzheimer's disease. They tested 30 different nutrient biomarkers in the blood of the subjects and measured 42 people's brain volume with MRI scans.
The nutrient biomarkers were found to account for 17 percent of the variation in the thinking and memory scores and 37 percent of the variation in brain shrinkage. Still, other factors like age, education and high blood pressure accounted for 46 percent of the variation.
Christine C. Tangney, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and colleagues reported in the Sept 21, 2011 issue of Neurology that vitamin B12 deficiency in people age 65 or older was correlated with lower scores on the cognitive tests and smaller total brain volume.
Vitamin B12 is found in fish, meat, particularly liver, milk, eggs, and poultry. Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid are found in cold water fatty fish like salmon. Vegetarians and vegans may take dietary supplements to have the same protective effect against Alzheimer's disease. Early studies also suggest using Mediterranean diet may help prevent brain damage due to micro-strokes.
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