Language: English
The healthcare portal for patients and the general public in Europe
This service contains links to third party websites. EPG Patient Direct is not in a position to verify this information and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the content contained.
06 Feb 2008
Eating more leafy green vegetables could help to reduce the risk of developing dementia, new research suggests.
People whose bodies are lacking in folates, found in foods such as broccoli, could be up to three times more at risk of developing dementia, a study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found.
Scientists monitored levels of vitamin B12 in 518 Korean people over the age of 65 over a period of two years from 2001 to 2003.
Tests were carried out at the end of the study to chart the progression of dementia, with 45 people found to have developed the condition by the study's conclusion.
Researchers claim that the higher the levels of folate in people's bodies to begin with, the higher their levels of B12 were in later life.
However, the team led by the Chonnam National University Medical School in Gwangju also acknowledged that "changes in micronutrients could be linked with the other typical signs that precede dementia, including weight loss and low blood pressure.
"While weight loss is unlikely to alter micronutrients in the blood, it may indicate dietary changes in the quality of food intake," they wrote.
Click here to learn more about health issues: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Delicious
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
