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Most Valuable Neurons

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

January 27, 2004

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Dear Reader,

The causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may continue to be
debated for many years to come. But two recent studies remind us
that whatever the specific causes of this disease turn out to
be, there are supplements you can take today that may
dramatically reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's.

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Block those radicals
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We already know that antioxidants are essential to protecting
brain neurons, which are particularly sensitive to free radical
damage. And because neuron deterioration is thought to be at
least partly responsible for Alzheimer's disease, a research
team headed up by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health set out to determine what effects the antioxidant
vitamins E and C might have on Alzheimer's risk.

The researchers used data collected from a large Alzheimer's
study conducted in northern Utah from 1996 to 1997, with an
additional three-year follow-up period. In a group of more than
4,700 subjects, age 65 or older, 304 cases of AD were
identified. Because detailed information on vitamin supplement
use was recorded for each subject, the researchers were able to
reach several revealing conclusions:

* Use of vitamin E and C supplements in combination was
associated with a significantly reduced risk of AD
* Use of vitamin E supplements along with multivitamins
containing vitamin C also reduced AD risk
* No protective effect was found with the use of either E or C
alone, or with multivitamins alone

As most HSI members are probably aware, typical multivitamins
don't contain much more than the recommended daily allowance
(RDA) of vitamins E and C, and in both cases the RDA is very
low: only 15 IU for vitamin E, and 60 mg for vitamin C.
Individual supplements of both vitamins tend to be quite a bit
higher, which would help to account for the effectiveness of the
vitamins taken alone as opposed to the smaller amounts in
multivitamins.

The authors of the study recommend a prevention trial, using a
combination of vitamins C and E, and hopefully such a trial will
use significant doses of each vitamin. In 2000, the Food and
Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences (the primary
U.S. authority for nutritional recommendations) set the safe
daily upper limit for vitamin C at 2,000 mg, and 1,000 IU for
vitamin E.

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Half the risk
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In the e-Alert "Mercury Rising" (4/25/02) I told you about a
Canadian study that found Alzheimer's patients and elderly
patients with various types of dementia all had lower levels of
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; an omega-3 fatty acid) than subjects
with normal cognitive functioning.

A new study from Tufts University also examines the relationship
of DHA to Alzheimer's. Researchers ****yzed ten years of data
taken from more than 1,100 elderly men and women who had
participated in the Framingham Heart Study. The impressive
results showed that those who had high levels of DHA and who
also ate about three fish meals each week, had a 48 percent
reduction of AD risk. But the researchers cautioned that a high
intake of omega-6 fatty acids (primarily from processed foods)
could interfere with the potential benefits.

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How do you like your fish?
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Getting DHA from fish provides other benefits as well. In the
e-Alert "Oil Rich" (9/25/03) I told you how dietary sources like
walnuts and flaxseed deliver omega-3 fatty acids, but only fish
contains both DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). When
combined, these two essential fatty acids have been shown to
help prevent depression, as well as heart disease, arthritis,
influenza, hyperactivity, and even some forms of cancer.

For those who don't feel comfortable eating fish for fear of
mercury or other toxins, fish oil and cod liver oil supplements
are also good sources of omega-3 EPA/DHA. Natural medical
physician Dr. Joseph Mercola suggests that because of cod liver
oil's high vitamin D content, it should be taken during the
autumn and winter months, and in northern and southern latitudes
where the body's vitamin D production from sunshine
is diminished. During the summer, or for those who live near the
equator, Dr. Mercola recommends fish oil supplements in order to
avoid an excess of vitamin D.

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Captain's platter
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Baked or broiled fish for dinner, followed with supplements of
vitamins E and C. What could be simpler? Someday that may be the
accepted preventive treatment for middle-aged people who want to
avoid Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia as they grow older
and wiser.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute