Beta carotene protects memory in U.S. study
WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Beta carotene taken as a dietary supplement for many years may protect against declines in memory, thinking and learning skills that often precede Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said on Monday.
The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, pointed to a protective effect against cognitive decline in healthy men who look beta carotene for about 18 years, but not in men who took the supplements for an average of a year.
The findings indicate beta carotene may be an important weapon in warding off memory problems that may foreshadow Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, the researchers said.
“This is the first trial that has found any way to help your memory if you’re healthy. I think it does tell us that we can change how our memory improves or worsens,” Francine Grodstein of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.