Posted on 12/28/2011 2:48:57 PM PST by decimon
CORVALLIS, Ore. – New research has found that elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's disease – while "junk food" diets produced just the opposite result.
The study was among the first of its type to specifically measure a wide range of blood nutrient levels instead of basing findings on less precise data such as food questionnaires, and found positive effects of high levels of vitamins B, C, D, E and the healthy oils most commonly found in fish.
The research was done by scientists from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore., and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. It was published today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"This approach clearly shows the biological and neurological activity that's associated with actual nutrient levels, both good and bad," said Maret Traber, a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute and co-author on the study.
"The vitamins and nutrients you get from eating a wide range of fruits, vegetables and fish can be measured in blood biomarkers," Traber said. "I'm a firm believer these nutrients have strong potential to protect your brain and make it work better."
(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...
my Mom as alzhiemers now, too, she is 87, mild still
she never ate junk food, either
Sorry to see that about your parents.
That they didn't eat what we call junk food doesn't mean they ate nutritionally beneficial foods.
Well...DUH!
I had some business dealings a few years ago with people who manufactured vitamins. I was horrified to learn that a lot of the stuff that’s sold as vitamins, minerals, or other nutritional supplements is of very bad quality, with old, chemically-deteriorated components and the rest as cheap fillers. This being the case, it seems logical that the average vitamin supplement wouldn’t do much for your health. But if you can get good stuff, and if your nutrition is good enough to raise your levels of Vitamins C, D, and E, and the various B vitamins, with omega-3s, then it’s not hard to see how these things could improve physical functioning.
Beer is brain food.
OTOH, if there are problems with nutrient absorption due to age or reduced stomach acid, you may not be able to benefit from the nutrients in food, either.
Drat! That links the abstract.
Isn’t this just the same old “garbage in, garbage out” axion?
I’ve gotten to my fifties with all of my marbles, and I think it’ll stay that way for some time, knock wood. Come in?
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