Alzheimer disease: protective factors

Approximately 6-8% of all persons aged > 65 y have Alzheimer disease and th e prevalence of the disease is increasing. Any intervention strategy aimed at decreasing risks or delaying the onset of the disease will therefore hav e a substantial effect on health care costs. Nutrition seems to be one of t he factors that may play a protective role in Alzheimer disease. Many studi es suggest that oxidative stress and the accumulation of free radicals are involved in the pathophysiology of the disease. Several studies have shown the existence of a correlation between cognitive skills and the serum conce ntrations of folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, and, more recently, homocys teine. However, nutritional factors have to be studied not alone but with t he other factors related to Alzheimer disease: genetics, estrogen, antiinfl ammatory drug use, and socioeconomic variables. The objective of this artic le was to review recent studies in this field.