Eating right can lessen chances of Alzheimer's

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Eating With Alzheimer's in Mind

Eat right and you may be able to reduce your

chances of developing Alzheimer's disease. That's the

implication of a recent report in the New England

Journal of Medicine that found a link between the

age-related brain disease and high blood levels of

an amino acid called homocysteine.

What's stirring particular interest in the study is

that folic acid, a B vitamin found in grains, leafy

green vegetables, dry beans and citrus, can reduce

homocysteine levels. So, to a lesser degree, can

vitamins B 6 and B 12, both commonly found in

fortified breakfast cereals as well as other foods.

You can't exceed safe vitamin limits by eating

food. But taking supplements is another story.

Experts are divided on the wisdom of popping

B-vitamin capsules without first consulting a

physician. One expert at Tufts University in Boston

warned that a folic acid supplement could tip a

user over the 1-milligram-per-day safety limit and

possibly disguise vitamin B 12 deficiency, which

can lead to nerve damage. Another expert at

Washington University called folic acid

supplementation harmless and said at least one test

for B 12 deficiency was foolproof.

Researchers drew their findings from data in the

Framingham Heart Study, involving several

thousand Boston-area residents who have been tested

every two years since 1948. The 30 percent

of participants with the highest homocysteine

levels showed twice as much risk of developing

Alzheimer's as those with average levels.

But even mildly elevated homocysteine levels

appeared to be associated with increased risk.

Homocysteine levels can be detected through blood

tests, but these are not standardized or generally

advised. Look for that to change, now that research

has tied high homocysteine levels not just to

Alzheimer's but to heart attack and stroke. In five

years, predicted Mark Mattson, chief of the

Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National

Institute on Aging, homocysteine tests will be routine,

and seniors with elevated readings will be urged to

up their folic acid intake.