which usually begins after age 60, initially involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. According to the National Institute on Aging, “Although scientists are learning more every day, right now they still do not know what causes AD, and there is no cure.”

But, there is the possibility that the risk of developing AD may be lowered if we have enough folate in our systems, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Find out more in the report below. My second report shows that calcium may reduce the risk of colon cancer. I know you will find these studies informative.

As always, I wish you the very best of health,

Lee Swanson

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People with higher levels of the nutrient folate (folic acid) from both diet and supplements may have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.

Researchers initiated the study on the premise that a higher intake of folate may decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease through the lowering of homocysteine levels.

Nine hundred sixty-five people with an average age of 75.8 years were included in the study. None of them had dementia at the start of the study. Researchers kept track of the group for an average of 6.1 years.

During the follow-up period, 192 of the study participants developed AD. Those with higher intake of folate from both diet and supplements had a lower risk of AD than other people in the study. However, neither dietary intake of folate nor supplements alone had an effect, only the two in combination appeared to produce a benefit, the researchers said.

The researchers found that higher folate intake was modestly associated with lower levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. Elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke and may also boost the risk for AD.

The finding that higher folate intake is linked with lower homocysteine levels indirectly suggests “that a lower homocysteine level is a potential mechanism for the association between higher folate intake and a lower Alzheimer’s disease risk,” the study authors wrote.

Archives of Neurology 64(1):86-92, 2007

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Calcium seems to protect high-risk people from developing the polyps that can lead to colorectal cancer-and the benefits appear to last long after calcium supplementation ends, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

“Calcium supplementation has been shown to decrease the risk of recurrence of colorectal adenomas in randomized trials,” researchers said. “However, the duration of this protective effect after cessation of active supplementation is not known.” That’s what scientists set out to discover.

Patients with a history of nonmalignant polyps took either 1,200 mg of calcium in supplement form or a placebo daily for four years in a study previously reported by researchers from Dartmouth Medical School. Calcium was associated with a 17% lower relative risk for polyp recurrence.

The risk reduction not only persisted in the years after treatment ended, but it seemed to strengthen, according to the recent follow-up study that included 822 of the 930 original study subjects.

During the first five years after the end of treatment, 31.5% of patients in the calcium group developed new polyps, compared with 43.2% of the study participants who did not take calcium. The protection did not appear to extend beyond five years, however.

Researchers concluded: “The protective effect of calcium supplementation on risk of colorectal adenoma recurrence extends up to five years after cessation of active treatment, even in the absence of continued supplementation.”

Journal of the National Cancer Institute 99(2):129-136, 2007