Now the future seems to lie, not in plastics, but in folates. And the research seems solid. So solid that my 78-year-old husband’s doctor has him taking supplements of folic acid, the pharmaceutical equivalent of the folates in food.
Remember the Kame Project, in which subjects who drank fruit or vegetable juice more than three times a week cut their risk of Alzheimer’s by a whopping 76%? Well, every year it seems more likely that it’s the folates in those fruits and vegetables that were working those wonders.
In fact, the latest research, as reported on February 5, 2008, in Science Daily, found that folate deficiency is associated with a tripling in the risk of developing dementia among elderly people.
Where Do We Find These Folates?
Folates occur most often in leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas, and in certain fruits. Here is a chart from the NIH Office Of Dietary Supplements. As you can see, both tomato juice and orange juice are fairly good sources, and I assume those were the main things the Kame Project subjects, the ones who cut their risk of Alzheimer’s by 76%, were drinking on a regular basis.
The one-a-day vitamin capsules that my husband and I take also supply 100% of our daily requirement of folic acid, giving us one more reason we should take those daily vitamins. The vitamin manufacturers obviously keep up with the scientific literature, and I appreciate this more every year.
Here are some earlier posts about the relation between diet and Alzheimer’s:
Live Longer With The Mediterranean Diet
It’s Scary – I’m Forgetting Things
Prevent Alzheimer’s With Good Cholesterol
Prevent Alzheimer’s By Your Diet