Vegetarian Diet Increases Alzheimers Risk

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Vegetarian Diet Increases Alzheimers Risk

Elderly people with low blood levels of vitamin B-12 and folate may face an

increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Vitamin B-12 plays an important role in maintaining nerve cells, and some

research has linked low blood levels of the vitamin to Alzheimer's and

mental decline. Few studies have looked at whether there is such a

connection between Alzheimer's and folate, a B vitamin key to the

production and maintenance of body cells.

In a study of 370 men and women aged 75 and older, investigators found that

those with low levels of either vitamin were twice as likely as those with

normal levels to develop Alzheimer's over a 3-year period. Surprisingly,

the link was even stronger among study participants who performed well on

mental tests at the start of the study.

The reason for the link is unclear, but low blood levels of B-12 and folate

can lead to elevations in the amino acid homocysteine, which may in turn

damage nerve cells, the authors note.

Vitamin B-12 is found in animal products, including

meat

fish

eggs

milk

Vegetarians are frequently deficient in vitamin B-12.

Folate occurs naturally in foods such as

leafy green vegetables

dried beans and peas

citrus fruits

many cereals are fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of folate.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, affecting an estimated 4

million Americans. The exact cause remains elusive, but scientists believe

genetics and environmental factors conspire to trigger the onset of the

disease.

Neurology May 8, 2001;56:1188-1194

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Ten Warning Signs Of Alzheimer's Disease

Early recognition and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is becoming

increasingly important given an " explosion of information " of the

memory-robbing disorder in recent years.

About 95% of patients with Alzheimer's disease can be accurately diagnosed

with the disease while they're living. This is important as treatments are

becoming available that seem to impact disease as far as cognitive

function, standard of living and behavioral function go.

And while the disease is incurable, there are treatment options. The group

issued a list of early warning signs of the disease, including:

memory loss that affects job skills language problems

difficulty performing familiar tasks misplacing objects

changes in mood and behavior poor judgment

disoriented as to time and place personality changes

problems with abstract thinking loss of initiative

To better rule out other causes of memory loss or dementia, brain imaging,

whether it is computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),

is now recommended, according to the group. Genetic testing, however, has

not been found to be particularly useful and is not recommended. Some genes

have been found to increase the risk of the disorder.

Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology May 8, 2001

Philadelphia, PA

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DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

The elderly are not the only ones that need to worry about B12. In my

practice (admittedly skewed, as I have never accepted Medicare as I do not

believe in socialized medicine nor do I want to run the risk of federal

imprisonment and millions of dollars in potential fines for innocently

violating some absurd and obscure federal regulation), the most common

cause of B12 deficiency is a person consuming a vegetarian diet.

It appears that we can now add Alzheimer's disease to the risk of pursuing

a vegetarian diet. If you do need vitamin B 12 as a supplement, please be

aware that oral or sublingual B 12 does not work very well. Injectable B12

is really the gold standard, but I outline another option with DMSO that is

inexpensive and appears to be the equivalent (see link below).

There is also little question now that B12 and folic acid are both useful

to reduce homocysteine and the associated increase in heart disease. This

is no small issue as heart disease is currently the number one cause of

death in this country.

Homocysteine can cause many problems in addition to heart disease. If a

woman is pregnant or may possibly become pregnant, it is very important to

keep homocysteine levels low, as it can cause birth defects.

One potential cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is the very popular drug

Prilosec (omeprazole) which has been clearly shown to decrease B12

absorption (Ann Pharmacother 1999 May;33:641-3). This is possibly due to

its effects on decreasing the production of intrinsic factor, which is

needed for proper B12 absorption. Other medications likely have similar

adverse effects as well.

Related Articles:

Vegetarians and Vegans Have Elevated Homocysteine Levels

Vitamin B12 Widespread

DMSO and Vitamin B12

Folic Acid Plus B12 May Cut Heart Risk