> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Trace elements or minerals prevent dementia like Alzheimer's disease
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/minerals_prevent_dementia_1201121232/
- Published: 2012-12-01T13:32:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:05:20.000Z
- Description: In Japan's Hisayama Study, 1,081 adults aged 60 and over were followed 17 years. Those in the highest quartile of potassium, calcium and magnesium intake had 48%, 36% and 37% lower risk of all-cause dementia, with far larger reductions, 80%, 76% and 74%, for vascular dementia.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Minerals, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Saturday Dec 1, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Japanese researchers published a study in Journal of American Geriatrics Society suggesting that sufficient intakes of potassium, calcium and magnesium may help drastically reduce risk of dementia like Alzheimer's disease.

M. Ozawa at Department of Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan and colleagues conducted the study and found men and women in the highest quartile of intakes of potassium, calcium and magnesium were more than 50% less likely to develop all-cause dementia and vascular dementia.

The Hisayama Study in Japan involved 1081 community-dwelling Japanese men and women without dementia aged 60 or older at baseline. Dietary intakes of potassium, calcium and magnesium were estimated through a 70-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire.

During a 17-year follow-up, 303 participants were diagnosed with all-cause dementia including 98 cases of vascular dementia (VaD), and 166 cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

The highest quartiles of potassium, calcium and magnesium intake were associated with 48%, 36%, and 37% reduced risk of all cause dementia, respectively, compared with those in the lowest quartile.

The reduction in the risk of vascular dementia was more significant, Highest intake of potassium, calcium and magnesium was associated with 80%, 76% and 74% reduced risk for the development of vascular dementia respectively, compared with the lowest intake.

The researchers concluded "Higher self-reported dietary intakes of potassium, calcium, and magnesium reduce the risk of all-cause dementia, especially VaD (vascular dementia), in the general Japanese population.