Study: Extra folic acid may protect brain

Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Posted: 10:17 a.m. EDT (14:17 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- High-dose folic acid pills -- providing as much of the nutrient as 2.5 pounds of strawberries -- might help slow the cognitive decline of aging.

So says a Dutch study that's the first to show a vitamin could really improve memory.
The research, unveiled Monday at a meeting of Alzheimer's researchers, adds to mounting evidence that a diet higher in folate is important for a variety of health effects. It's already proven to reduce birth defects, and research suggests it helps ward off heart disease and strokes, too.

The new study doesn't show folic acid could prevent Alzheimer's _ the people who tested the vitamin
didn't have symptoms of that disease.

But as people age, some decline in memory and other brain functions...


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