Word: acidly
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Diet may play a role in Alzheimer's in other ways as well. In 1998 British researchers announced that Alzheimer's victims have low concentrations in their blood of the nutrient folate, also called folic acid. That's an intriguing result, especially in light of other studies showing that folic acid deficiency plays a role in some forms of mental retardation in children and in cognitive problems in adults. So Snowdon began looking at levels of folic acid, along with 18 other micronutrients (including beta carotene, magnesium, zinc and cholesterol) in blood samples of 30 sisters who had died since...
Sure enough, he found that the sisters with high folate levels showed little evidence of Alzheimer's-type damage in their brain after death. This makes a certain amount of sense; folate tends to counteract the effects of homocysteine, an amino acid produced in the body that has been implicated in cardiovascular disease. Plenty of folate in the blood would thus mean less chance of stroke--and might even protect brain cells from damage by homocysteine in the brain...
...says, "I have a certain comfort level in making some recommendations because there are other good reasons for preventing strokes, for reading, for taking folic acid. If our findings showed something that had no other known benefit besides preventing Alzheimer's, then we would be on much thinner ice." Even so, it's not clear precisely how much folic acid to take, and Snowdon's team is divided on whether to boost the intake of vitamins C and E beyond the normal recommended doses (Markesbery says yes; Snowdon says not until we know more...
...strongest findings of the Nun Study is the link between folic acid and mental health. Found in breads, cereals and leafy green vegetables, folic acid seems to protect the brain's central learning and reasoning regions from shrinkage. Most doctors recommend starting with at least the RDA of 400 micrograms a day, the amount found in most multivitamins...
...tricky, but it's doable. Then just throw my skis and rifle and all my other junk in the rental car and drive like hell back to Jackson Hole, change my flight and head back to sweet, sweet Jersey. No more skiing. No more hills, no more lactic acid hell. Just hug my wife, play with my kids for a while, take a nap on the couch and forget this ever happened...