Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a study including 42 elderly patients, brain aging was reduced by high levels of vitamins, B, C, D, and E, omega-3 fatty acid, and low levels of trans fatty acid.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia among older adults, affects parts of the brain that control thinking, remembering and making decisions. Its ability to seriously impair a person’s ability to complete daily activities are a significant contributor to the annual cost of $100 billion for Alzheimer’s Disease (1).
Its increased prevalence among the elderly (5 million Americans, including 5% of men and women ages 65 to 74 and nearly half of those aged 85 and older (2)) make early detection a priority. Now a new study (3) suggests three markers in the blood may provide a boost to early detection. In the study, 42 patients with an average age of 87 and free of several known risk factors for mental decline (vascular disease, hypertension, diabetes) participated in the Oregon Brain Aging Study (4) that lasted from 1989 through 2007. The patients underwent brain MRIs and had blood samples taken every year.
The researchers focused on the MRIs and blood work taken in 2006 and proceeded to identify “3 distinct [nutrition factors] significant to both [brain] function and MRI measures of brain aging.” Specifically, the first nutrient factor was levels of vitamins B, C, D, and E that researchers suggested played a role in slowing down brain atrophy (shrinkage). The second nutrient factor was higher omega-3 fatty acid levels suggested to help maintain blood vessel health (and thereby nutrient delivery) in the brain (5, 6). And the third nutrient factor was having low trans fatty acid levels that help maintain healthy levels of inflammation and minimize cardiovascular disease risk (7, 8).
Unfortunately, because the researchers did not use food frequency questionnaires but rather a statistical method of analysis based on blood levels, no dosages of the beneficial nutrients could be recommended. Rather the researchers went on to recommend increased consumption of green leafy (like spinach and kale) and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower) to increase intake of vitamins B, C, and E while avoiding foods high in trans fats like bakery and fried foods and margarine spreads (9).
Source: Bowman, G. L., L. C. Silbert, Diane Howieson, H. H. Dodge, M. G. Traber, B. Frei, J. A. Kaye, J. Shannon, and J. F. Quinn. “Nutrient biomarker patterns, cognitive function, and MRI measures of brain aging.” Neurology 78, no. 4 (2012): 241-249.
Copyright © 2012 by AAN Enterprises, Inc
Posted January 20, 2012.
References:
- “Alzheimer’s Disease” – see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- Ernst, RL; Hay, JW. “The U.S. Economic and Social Costs of Alzheimer’s Disease Revisited.” American Journal of Public Health 1994; 84(8): 1261 – 1264.
- Bowman GI. Nutrient biomarker patterns, cognitive function, and MRI measures of brain aging. Neurology® 2012;78:241–249.
- “Oregon Brain Aging” – see the Oregon Health and Science University website.
- Carmichael O, Schwarz C, Drucker D, et al. Longitudinal changes in white matter disease and cognition in the first year of the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Arch Neurol 2010;67:1370 –1378.
- Silbert LC, Nelson C, Howieson DB, Moore MM, Kaye JA. Impact of white matter hyperintensity volume progression on rate of cognitive and motor decline. Neurology 2008;71:108 –113.
- Mozaffarian D, Katan MB, Ascherio A, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Trans fatty acids and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med 2006;354:1601–1613.
- Lopez-Garcia E, Schulze MB, Meigs JB, et al. Consumption of trans fatty acids is related to plasma biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. J Nutr 2005; 135:562–566.
- Micha R, King IB, Lemaitre RN, et al. Food sources of individual plasma phospholipid trans fatty acid isomers: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91:883–893.
