Health
Niacin associated with reduced Alzheimer's risk
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 2, 2004
Elderly people who eat a diet low in niacin may be at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive decline, according to a study published in the August Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Researchers from Chicago's Rush Institute for Healthy Aging analyzed dietary questionnaires and cognitive tests for nearly 4,000 people 65 or older over a 10-year period. More than 21% of those who had the least intake of the vitamin from food went on to develop the disease but less than 6% who ingested the most did. The protective effect seemed greater if subjects did not also have other risk factors such as cardiovascular disease or less than 12 years of education.
The impact of niacin supplements could not be determined.
Researchers suggested that the vitamin could have an eventual role in preventing the disease population-wide.
"[This] could have substantial public health implications for disease prevention if confirmed by further research," wrote the authors.
The vitamin has long been considered a possible player in Alzheimer's development because dementia can be a symptom of niacin deficiency. Other studies have also found that those with the disease seem to have lower levels than those without.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/08/02/hlbf0802.htm.
