Supple-"mental" Subjects (Folic) Acid trip - to Smartsville For the last 5 years or so, folic acid (folate) has been often recommended by the medical establishment as a boon to bone strength and an aid to heart health. And for once, I'm in 100% agreement with them. My only gripe is that they're about 20 years too late. I've known of folate's power in these areas for decades. But no matter - I'm glad to see that folic acid's finally getting its due for being the health-boosting natural compound it is. But beyond the common conditions it's touted as being beneficial for, I've long known of folate's usefulness in treating ailments of the mind (especially Parkinson's disease), and it's power in preventing strokes. Now, it seems, the mainstream is starting to catch on in this area, too. According to a recent Associated Press article, some new European research shows that aggressive supplementation with folic acid may slow age-related cognitive decline and improve memory. The study focused on 818 cognitively healthy subjects age 50 - 75 who took either a daily dose of 800mcg of folic acid or a placebo for 3 years. At the end of it all, the folate group scored 5.5 years younger than their chronological ages on memory tests, and nearly 2 years younger on tests of cognitive speed. Kind of makes you feel sorry for the poor placebo group, huh? The study's results were unveiled at a recent meeting of Alzheimer's researchers, the AP piece reports. These findings - though not related to the folate/Parkinson's connection I've written about before - nevertheless show that this vitamin has a powerful effect on the mind and it's workings. The precise mechanism in which folate works to protect the "brain drain" of both age and Alzheimer's remains to be pinpointed, however. Some previous studies have suggested that folate reduces inflammation in the brain - still others point to its potential action on dementia-related genes.
Whether the exact way in which folic acid works is ever proven or not, what IS proven about the substance is that it's safe. People of both sexes have been taking it for years in varying doses without any negative side effects I've ever heard of. So I ask: What's the harm in taking it, if it could help prevent or postpone mental decline in your twilight years? Besides this, there's even more you can do… **************************************************** The only exercise I'll ever recommend I've written a lot (so have a lot of other people) about things you can TAKE or EAT that can help stave off age-related cognitive decline of all type. But it seems like no one's talking much about what may well be the most important thing you can do to keep your mind sharp, alert, young, and capable… Exercise it. As you know, I'm no big fan of excessive exercising of the body - it leads to nothing but joint pain, stress fractures, enlarged hearts and premature death. However, exactly the opposite is true of your mind: It NEEDS constant exercise to stay in peak shape. According to a recent Associated Press article, brain scans show that when minds are stretched in unusual ways, more blood flows into infrequently used neural zones. Connections form where few existed before. More oxygen reaches little-used zones of the brain. Similarly, chronic stress and anxiety have been shown to increase the risk of dementia by as much as 50%, autopsies have shown. What's my advice for protecting and enhancing your gray matter as you age? Challenge your mind every day. Take up chess or music, learn a new language, write, or join a book club (social interaction has been shown to help the mind, too). But even if you do nothing more than read this column every week, you're already stretching your brain in vital ways - and are no doubt well ahead of the curve in keeping (and adding to) your "marbles" for years to come… Always mindful of your mental health, William Campbell Douglass II, MD
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