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Higher Folate Intake Might Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
High amounts of dietary and supplemental folate may correlate with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to an article published in the January Archives of Neurology.
José A. Luchsinger, MD, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, and colleagues examined, interviewed, and assessed the diet of 965 dementia-free individuals during the baseline period of 1992 to 1994. The average age of the participants was 75, with 71% of the sample being women; 33% were African-American, 45% were Hispanic, and 22% were Caucasian.
The cohort was followed for an average of six years, to determine who developed Alzheimer’s disease. During the follow-up period, 192 participants were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The investigators found that when participants were classified according to their intake of folate through food and supplements, the risk for Alzheimer’s disease was lower in the groups with the higher folate intake. The outcome was reached after the investigators made adjustments for patient characteristics, apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, comorbid diseases, and levels of vitamins B6 and B12. The researchers noted that neither dietary folate nor supplements alone were significantly linked to Alzheimer’s disease risk and that only the combination of the two provided a protective effect. They added that intake levels of vitamins B6 and B12 were not connected with Alzheimer’s disease risk.
The researchers found that participants who developed Alzheimer’s disease were older and had less education, and the group included a higher proportion of Hispanics, a lower proportion of Caucasians, a higher number of those with the APOE ε4 allele, and a higher number of those with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.
Research revealed that levels of homocysteine were correlated with higher folate levels, suggesting that a lower homocysteine level “is a potential mechanism for the association between higher folate intake and a lower Alzheimer’s disease risk.”
The authors concluded that clinical trials should be conducted before a recommendation is made. They noted that the findings of the study are in contrast to those of some other research examining folate as well as other compounds (such as hormones) that were perceived to reduce risk of dementia in observational studies but not in randomized trials.
NR
—Tara Hayden
Suggested Reading
Luchsinger JA, Tang MX, Miller J, et al. Relation of higher folate intake to lower risk of Alzheimer disease in the elderly. Arch Neurol. 2007;64:86-92.
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