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LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY. Studies have shown that low concentrations
of folic acid (folates) in the blood are associated with an
increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Researchers at the University of Kentucky now report that low
folate levels are directly associated with a high degree of
atrophy of the cerebral cortex. Their study involved 30 nuns who
had blood samples drawn and analyzed prior to their death between
the ages of 78 and 101 years. Autopsies of the brains showed a
clear negative association between folate levels and atrophy of
the neocortex and this association was especially strong among the
nuns who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The average
folate level in the nuns with significant AD was 45 nmol/L as
compared to 61 nmol/L in the nuns without significant AD. It is
interesting that the average blood levels of folate was 104 nmol/L
in the nuns taking multivitamin pills as compared to only 36
nmol/L in those not taking supplements.
The researchers also found that the nuns with moderate to severe
atherosclerosis in the arteries supplying the brain had an average
blood folate level of only 34 nmol/L while those with minimal
atherosclerosis had a level of 75 nmol/L. They conclude that a
folate deficiency is associated with increased atrophy of the
neocortex, particularly in patients with Alzheimer's
disease.
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