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Lack of folate may triple the risk of developing dementia

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Key vitamin deficiency linked to tripled risk of dementia: study

Tue Feb 5, 9:25 AM ET

 

Lack of folate, also called vitamin B-9, may triple the risk of

developing dementia in old age, according to a study published

Tuesday.

 

Researchers in South Korea measured naturally occurring folate levels

in 518 elderly persons, none of whom showed any signs of dementia,

and then tracked their development over 2.4 years.

 

At the end of the period, 45 of the patients had developed dementia,

including 34 diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the study,

published by the British Medical Association's Journal of Neurology,

Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

 

When the researchers, led by Jin-Sang Yoon of Chonnam National

University in Kwangju, South Korea, remeasured folate levels, they

uncovered a strong link with the dementia.

 

Even after other factors were taken into account -- including age,

disability, alcohol consumption, weight change -- " the onset of

dementia was significantly associated with an exaggerated decline in

folate, " the researchers concluded.

 

Folate and folic acid, another form of the compound, are essential

for the creation of new cells in the body.

 

The compound occurs naturally in leafy vegetables such as spinach,

turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas and in certain fruits.

 

An study published last year in The Lancet showed an improvement in

short-term memory, mental agility and verbal fluency among persons

over 50 who took a daily dose of 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid.

The US recommended daily dose is 400 mcg.

 

Taking folic acid before conception and throughout the first

trimester helps a mother ensure that her child will not develop

certain brain and spinal cord defects, including spina bifida,

according to previous research.

 

Agence France Presse.

Inc. All rights reserved.

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