Category: Dementia

Memory problems are one of the key symptoms of dementia.

A folate deficiency is linked to a tripling in the chance of developing dementia in older people, research finds.

Folates include vitamin B9, folacin and folic acid.

Healthy adults should get around 400mcg per day to prevent a deficiency.

Foods that are high in folates include leafy greens, beets, citrus fruits, broccoli, eggs and asparagus.

Folates are also usually contained in multivitamin supplements.

Low levels of vitamin B12 and folate have both been linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease by multiple studies.

This link has been observed by researchers for more than three decades.

A deficiency in B12 or folate can cause higher levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the body.

Homocysteine has a neurotoxic effect and could lead to neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s.

For the current study, 518 people over the age of 65 were tracked for two years.

They were given blood tests for levels of folate, vitamin B12 and the protein homosysteine, along with cognitive tests.

The results showed that 45 people had developed dementia by the end of the study.

People who were deficient in folates were 3.5 times more likely to develop dementia, the researchers found.

Dementia was also more likely in people whose folate levels dropped over the two years of the study.

The study’s authors write:

“In this prospective study of a community population, lower
folate concentrations predicted incident dementia and AD over
a 2.4 year follow-up period…

Over the follow-up period, dementia occurred more commonly in those with a relative decline in folate and vitamin B12 concentrations or a relative increase in homocysteine concentrations.”

A good diet is repeatedly linked by research to a reduced risk of dementia.

One study has found that people who eat more nuts, fish, poultry and certain fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, research finds.

Set against this, those who eat more red meats, organ meats, butter and high-fat dairy products have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.

The study was published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (Kim et al., 2019).

Scientists studied 250 people with mild cognitive impairment: a condition that can progress to dementia.

B vitamins combined with omega-3 can help slow mental decline in older people with memory problems.

Dr Celeste de Jager, one of the study’s authors, said:

“We previously found that B vitamins are able to slow or prevent the atrophy of the brain and memory decline in people with MCI.

This was most effective in those who had above average blood levels of homocysteine, a factor related to B vitamin status that may be toxic to the brain.

Scientists in our team initially found that there was a link between Omega-3 levels, homocysteine, and brain atrophy rates.

We wanted to find out whether Omega-3 and B vitamins might interact to prevent cognitive decline.”

The scientists studied 250 people with mild cognitive impairment.

This condition can progress to dementia.

The study’s first author, Dr Abderrahim Oulhaj explained the results:

“We found that for people with low levels of Omega-3, the vitamin supplements had little to no effect.

But for those with high baseline Omega-3 levels, the B vitamins were very effective in preventing cognitive decline compared to the placebo.

This result complements our previous finding that B vitamins slow the rate of brain atrophy in MCI only in those with a good Omega-3 level to start with.”

Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society said:

“These results help us to tease apart who could benefit from taking B vitamins, suggesting that they might only improve cognition in people who have high levels of Omega-3 oils in their blood.

Encouragingly, these findings suggest that for some older people a combination of fish oil supplements and B vitamins may help to improve thinking and memory.

As this study shows, the relationship between nutrition and brain health is complex and we need to see increased research efforts to help us understand the role that diet and nutrition can play in reducing a person’s risk of dementia.”

Related

• 12 Brain-Boosting Strategies That Protect Against Mild Cognitive Impairment (P)

The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Oulhaj et al., 2016).

Nearly a hundred commonly used drugs linked to increased dementia risk.

A class of drug used for many conditions, from depression to high blood pressure, are linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Anticholinergic drugs are used for conditions including bladder control, colds and hay fever. Many of the drugs can be bought over-the-counter, without prescription. People who took at least one anticholinergic drug were 47 percent more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the researchers found. MCI is a common precursor to Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Four commonly used drugs which have strong anticholinergic effects are:

1. Doxepin (Sinequan) – an older antidepressant.
2. Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) – an antihistamine used to treat hayfever.
3. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) – another antihistamine often used to treat hay fever and sometimes used to aid sleep.
4. Oxybutynin (Ditropan) – for bladder control.

Dr Lisa Delano-Wood, study co-author, said:

“This study suggests that reducing anticholinergic drug use before cognitive problems appear may be important for preventing future negative effects on memory and thinking skills, especially for people at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease.”

The study included 688 older people, none with memory problems at the outset, who were tracked for up to 10 years. One-third were taking at least one kind of anticholinergic drug, with the average being almost five drugs per person. Among people at high genetic risk of Alzheimer’s, those who also took anticholinergic drugs were at four times the risk of developing MCI than those not taking the drugs. Ms Alexandra Weigand, the study’s first author, said:

“We believe this interaction between anticholinergic drugs and Alzheimer’s risk biomarkers acts in a ‘double hit’ manner. In the first hit, Alzheimer’s biomarkers indicate that pathology has started to accumulate in and degenerate a small region called the basal forebrain that produces the chemical acetylcholine, which promotes thinking and memory. In the second hit, anticholinergic drugs further deplete the brain’s store of acetylcholine. This combined effect most significantly impacts a person’s thinking and memory.”

Over half the people in the study were taking double the minimum effective dose of anticholinergic drugs, the researchers found. Almost one-in-five were taking four times the minimum dose. Ms Weigand said

“This points to a potential area for improvement since reducing anticholinergic drug dosages may possibly delay cognitive decline. It’s important for older adults who take anticholinergic medications to regularly consult with their doctors and discuss medication use and dosages.”

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Weigand et al., 2020).

The drink made genetic changes to microglial cells, degrading their functioning.

Alcohol may slow down the brain’s ability to clear waste, possibly leading to Alzheimer’s.

The study on rat cells found that alcohol made genetic changes to microglial cells, degrading their functioning.

The amount of alcohol used was equivalent to a session of binge drinking in humans.

The microglia are cells in the brain that help regulate normal functioning.

When these cells stop working properly, the brain begins to degrade.

The link between alcohol and Alzheimer’s disease has been controversial.

Some studies have suggested low alcohol intake may have a protective effect.

However, recently researchers have identified a link between alcohol and brain inflammation.

Research has revealed that alcohol might hinder phagocytosis: the process by which proteins linked to Alzheimer’s are cleared from the brain.

Professor Douglas Feinstein, who led the study, said:

“Among the genes we saw altered were many involved in phagocytosis, which is the first time this has been shown.

While these studies were performed in isolated cells, our results suggest that alcohol impedes the ability of microglia to keep the brain clear of amyloid beta and may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The results showed that phagocytosis was suppressed by around 15 percent one hour after alcohol exposure.

Professor Feinstein said:

“We didn’t continue the study to see whether phagocytosis was further impaired after longer exposures to alcohol, but it appears that these changes in microglial cells could be a contributing factor to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Another study has found that low doses of alcohol may help clear the brain of waste.

The previous study gave varying amounts of alcohol to mice and looked at the effect on their brains.

However, those given high levels of alcohol over a long period showed increasing levels of damaging inflammation.

The study was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation (Kalinin et al., 2018).