Folic acid is critical to proper brain function. A new study found that people with low blood levels of this essential B vitamin are 3½ times more likely to develop dementia than people with normal levels. The study followed people age 65 or older, in South Korea, for about 2½ years. (Kim, J-M, et al. J Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Online First, Feb. 5, 2008. DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.2007.131482.)
This isn’t the first time researchers have found a link between mental decline and low folic acid, which leads to high levels of brain-poisoning homocysteine. Other research has shown that supplementing with 800 mcg of folic acid can prevent dementia in people who have high homocysteine levels. (Durga J. et al. The Lancet, Vol. 369, Jan. 20, 2007, pp. 208-16.)
Getting enough B12 and B6 is just as important, since these vitamins work together to reduce homocysteine.
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Chances are, you know somebody with dementia. But you don't have to suffer from the same fate. You can protect your brain now! Get 800 mcg a day of folic acid. (You’d have to eat about 14 cups of raw spinach a day to get that much!) Nutritional supplements are the only sure way to obtain this amount.
QUICK TIP: According to Jean Carper, folic acid really can keep you sharp! Learn More
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Written exclusively for Stop Aging Now, the authority on anti-aging research, anti-aging nutrition, and anti-aging supplements.
