Vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in blood could stave off dementia: Study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJan 3 2012

A new study has shown that higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E are associated with better mental functioning in the elderly.

For the study a team of researchers measured blood levels of these nutrients in 104 men and women, whose average age was 87. The scientists also performed brain scans on 42 participants to determine brain volume and administered six commonly used tests of mental functioning. The study is in the Jan. 24 issue of Neurology.

They controlled for age, sex, blood pressure, body mass index and other factors and found that people with the highest blood levels of the four vitamins scored higher on the cognitive tests and had larger brain volume than those with the lowest levels.

They noted that Omega-3 levels were linked to better cognitive functioning and to healthier blood vessels in the brain, but not to higher brain volume. This suggests that these beneficial fats may improve cognition by a different means. Higher blood levels of transfats, on the other hand, were significantly associated with impaired mental ability and smaller brain volume.

The lead author, Gene L. Bowman, a neurologist at Oregon Health and Science University, said that the study could not determine whether taking supplements of these nutrients would decrease the risk for dementia. However he added, “What’s the harm in eating healthier? Fish, fruits, vegetables all have these nutrients, and staying away from trans fats is one key thing you can do.”

Co-author Maret Traber of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University said, “The vitamins and nutrients you get from eating a wide range of fruits, vegetables and fish can be measured in blood biomarkers. I'm a firm believer these nutrients have strong potential to protect your brain and make it work better.”

The best current advice is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, not smoke, take regular exercise and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check, said Alzheimer's Research UK.

Commenting on the study, Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said, “…strength of this research is that it looked at nutrients in people's blood, rather than relying on answers to a questionnaire. It's important to note that this study looked at a small group of people with few risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, and did not investigate whether they went on to develop Alzheimer's at a later stage. There is a clear need for conclusive evidence about the effect of diet on our risk of Alzheimer's, which can only come from large-scale, long-term studies.”