Category: L-methionine

Macular Degeneration Twins Study Results

Image via nlm.gov

A diet that includes vitamin D, betaine and methionine can help to lower your risk of developing macular degeneration (AMD).  A study of identical twins conducted by the Tuft Medical Center also supports the assertion that smoking increases one’s chance of getting AMD.

AMD tends to run in families, and this opportunity to look at twins who exhibit different stages of the disease allowed researchers to zero in on how diet and lifestyle habits affected the condition’s progression.

According to the source of this story, Science Daily, Vitamin D, which is added to many milk products, may reduce the risk of AMD because it has anti-inflammatory properties.  Betaine (contained in fish, grains, and spinach) and methionine (found in poultry, fish, and dairy products) both seem to work at the DNA level to slow the progression of the disease.

This study was published in the July 1 issue of Ophthalmology.

Alzheimer’s Risk: Diet, Muscle Power, Maternal Family

People who ranked in the top 10 percent for muscle strength were 61 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the weakest 10 percent. Stronger people also showed a slower decline in their mental abilities over time.

Older people with stronger muscles are at reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to their weaker peers, a new study shows.

Alzheimer’s & Muscle Power

Dr. Patricia A. Boyle of Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago and her colleagues found that the greater a person’s muscle strength, the lower their likelihood of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over a four-year period. The same was true for the loss of mental function that often precedes full-blown Alzheimer’s. People who ranked in the top 10 percent for muscle strength were 61 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the weakest 10 percent. Stronger people also showed a slower decline in their mental abilities over time. SOURCE: Archives of Neurology, November 2009.

Maternal Family Genetic Inheritance

It is well known that Alzheimer’s disease runs in families, but researchers have found that it may be inherited through the maternal genes. According to a study published in Biological Psychiatry the measure of a protein called amyloid is a marker for Alzheimer’s.   Adult children of mother’s with the disease have a greater amount of this protein in their brains.  It is hoped that the identification of genetic risk factors will help them to develop future therapies for the disease.  Source: https://scienceblog.com/40208/where-did-you-get-those-eyes-and-that-brain/

Alzheimer’s & Diet

An article published online on June 2, 2010 in FASEB Journal reports the discovery of Temple University researchers of the benefit of a low methionine diet in slowing or reversing early to moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease in an animal model.

Methionine is an essential amino acid that occurs in relatively high amounts in red meat, fish, eggs and other foods. A byproduct of methionine metabolism is homocysteine, another amino acid that has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as cardiovascular disease when elevated.

Ref: www.fasebj.org

Alzheimer’s & Mediterranean Diet

A large study of older adults found a reduced dementia risk associated with the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet provides higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids than the Western diet. Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with a protective effect on the brain and brain functioning.

The study was published in the April 30, 2013 issue of the journal Neurology. It looked at 17,478 Caucasian and African American participants who were in a study about strokes called “Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS).” These participants had not had a stroke or cognitive impairment when they started in the study.

When analyzing the questionnaires about diet, the researchers checked to see how closely each participant’s resembled the a Mediterranean diet. This diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, plus legumes, olive oil, nuts, and fish.

The results showed that subjects whose diets were closest to the Mediterranean diet had an 11% lowered risk of cognitive impairment.  This risk was lowered even more in people who were not diabetic: 19% lower incidence of cognitive impairment versus nondiabetics who did not adhere to the Mediterranean diet.

“Since there are no definitive treatments for most dementing illnesses, modifiable activities, such as diet, that may delay the onset of symptoms of dementia are very important,” stated lead author Georgios Tsivgoulis, MD, of the University of Athens in Greece. “Diet is an important modifiable activity that could help in preserving cognitive functioning in late life. However, it is only one of several important lifestyle activities that might play a role in late-life mental functioning. Exercise, avoiding obesity, not smoking cigarettes and taking medications for conditions like diabetes and hypertension are also important.”

At Natural Eye Care, we emphasize nutrition as an important way to prevent health issues. Learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia.

Study: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and risk of incident cognitive impairment by Georgios Tsivgoulis, MD et. al. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182904f69 Neurology April 30, 2013 vol. 80 no. 18 1684-1692 https://www.neurology.org/content/80/18/1684.abstract

Vitamin B and Folic Acid May Lower Risk of AMD

B & Folic Acid | B6, B12 & Folic Acid | Homocysteine

Vitamin B & Folic Acid

A team of Harvard researchers found that women who took a combination of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 had a 35% to 40% lower risk of developing age related macular degeneration (AMD) than women who took a placebo.

A group of 5442 female health care professionals 40 years or older (of whom 5205 did not have a diagnosis of AMD at the beginning of the study) received either a combination of folic acid/B6/B12 or a placebo.

After more than seven years of treatment and follow-up, 137 women were diagnosed with AMD.  Of these 137:

  • 55 had been taking the supplements; 82 had been taking the placebo.
  • 70 had ‘visually significant AMD’, including 26 who had been taking the supplements and 44 who had been taking the placebo.

Researchers concluded that daily supplementation with folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) may reduce the risk of AMD.

Published:  “Folic Acid, Pyridoxine, and Cyanocobalamin Combination Treatment and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Women”, Christen et al, Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(4):335-341.

Folic Acid, Vitamins B6 & B12

Researchers reviewed data from the “Women’s Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Study,” looking specifically at vision information. They found that supplementation with a combination of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 lowered the risk of age related macular degeneration in women who also have cardiovascular disease.

Scientists have known that these 3 B family vitamins reduce high homocysteine levels, a risk factor for conditions of the vascular system, including advanced macular degeneration.

The study looked at data for over 8,000 age 40 or older female medical professionals  who had been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or who had a minimum of 3 risk factors for development of macular degeneration.  In a secondary trial they randomly received vitamin C daily, vitamin E every other day, and beta-carotene (every other day) or a placebo.

About 5,400 of these women were part of a later trial in which they received a placebo or a combination of folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12 or a placebo daily.  About 200 of these women had previously been diagnosed with macular degeneration.  Results were both self-reported, confirmed by medical records, and diagnosed as macular degeneration with vision reduced to 20/30 or lower due to the condition.

The researchers determined that 137 macular degeneration cases occurred over approximately 7 years of treatment and followup. There were 55 incidences in the group receiving treatment and 82 occurences in the placebo group.  The results for patients with macular degeneration and 20/30 or worse vision loss, there were 26 incidences in the B vitamins sub-group, and 43 cases in the placebo sub-group.

The researchers determined that women who take supplement B vitamins are 34 percent less likely to experience macular degeneration, and 40 percent less likely to experience vision loss as a result.

The researchers noted that although high doses of  B vitamins were tested, lower doses may well have been effective.  Another study looking at cardiovascular disease found that homocysteine decrease if proportional to the dose of folic acid only up to 800 mcg daily while excessive amounts of folic acid have been tied to colorectal tumors.

Researchers: Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the National Eye Institute

References :
Christen WG, et al. Folic acid plus B-vitamins and age-related macular degeneration in a randomized trial in women. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 48:E-abstract 1152, ARVO, 2007.
Wald DS, et al. Randomized trial of folic acid supplementation and serum homocysteine levels. Archives of Internal Medicine 161:695-700, 2001.

Homocysteine

Homocysteine, an amino acid believed to contribute to heart attack, stroke and dementia, may also play a role in retinal damage and vision loss.  Homocysteine levels rise when folic acid levels drop, a common problem for Americans whose diets are often poor in folate-rich fruits, tomatoes, vegetables and grains.

Researchers are looking at homocysteine levels upon the retina to find out exactly what happens in this vast and delicate network.  Looking at retina photos, one can see that the structure of the retina is damaged significantly in patients with high levels of homocysteine.

Folic acid and vitamin B12 convert homocysteine to methionine, an amino acid essential to protein synthesis.  People need only about 1 mcg  of vitamin B12 daily.  The source of B12 is microorganisms that are common in the gastrointestinal system of animals. Strict vegetarians are typically the only Americans who have problems with B12 deficiency, he says. People need about 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. Pregnant women as well as those trying to become pregnant need at least double that.

Researchers are investigating several mice models and will control their diets to raise and lower folic acid levels to see what happens to homocysteine and the retina:

  • a model  with slightly raised homocysteine levels that behave like a human diet deficient in folic acid –  this model that also has diabetes, which goes along with cardiovascular disease and diabetic retinopathy;
  • a model of the rare genetic defect that results in extraordinarily high homocysteine levels.

The scientists believe that continual raised homocysteine levels will damage the normal functioning of the retina and degrade the retinal tissue, a situation that is worsened by diabetes.

Researchers: Dr. Sylvia Smith, cell biologist, and Dr. Vadivel Ganapathy, Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia

Published:  Medical College of Georgia, “Impact of elevated homocysteine levels on vision under study,” Oct. 15, 2007.

B & Folic Acid | B6, B12 & Folic Acid | Homocysteine