The benefits of beta carotene supplements

Being a baby boomer makes you think about all the culinary abuses you subjected your body to when you were a young chick. Now you have to do the damage control.
Most of the time, the women are more concerned about their health, more eager to go to the doctor for the annual mandatory control. It’s not that we like the Pap test of the mammogram. What is to be liked about anyway? Both of them are pretty painful and embarrassing.
But faced with the prospect of developing the silent but deadly breast cancer or cervical cancer, you just go.
With men it’s different. Only a few of them would go voluntarily for the prostate examination.
I digress, what I wanted to mention is that on my baby boomer site I will touch men issues as well.
I have a husband I would like to keep as healthy as possible, and because it’s me doing the research I will share my findings with everybody who would like to do some preventive or corrective actions, regardless man or woman.

Today is about beta carotene supplement and the prevention of memory decline.

One of the disease that are pretty prevalent in North America is Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease. Symptoms include loss of memory, difficulty with day-to-day tasks, and changes in mood and behavior. People may think these symptoms are part of normal aging but they aren’t.
Statistically speaking, in 2008 it is estimated that:
- 97,000 Canadians will develop Alzheimer’s or a related disease
- 450,000 Canadians over 65 have Alzheimer’s or a related disease

A study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine pointed to a protective effect against cognitive decline in healthy men who took beta carotene supplements for about 18 years.
The data did not show any positive outcome for men who took beta carotene for only one year.
The findings indicate that beta carotene supplements may be a weapon in warding off memory problems characteristic to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Not everything is nice and dandy: beta carotene supplements may increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. There is another reason for quit smoking if you are still a smoker.

Beta carotene is an antioxidant vitamin, meaning that it neutralizes the effect of the free radicals (oxidants) released when the body turns food into energy.
Following the logical thinking: free radicals have an oxidative (damaging) effect on the brain. The oxidative damage may be one of the initiating factors that leads to memory problems.
Beta carotene with its antioxidant effect could be the annihilator of the free radicals.

How much beta carotene?
The men in the group that took beta carotene for long periods of time (18 years) were assigned about 50 milligrams every other day.

Like any other scientific study, there were pros and cons voices.
The cons ones would say that there is no convincing justification to recommend the use of antioxidant dietary supplements to maintain cognitive performance in healthy, normal adults.

Another study (in some Neurology journal) examined the link between dementia and diet.
The risk for developing dementia was found to be lower in people with diets heavy in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables.

To take or not to take?
It’s a matter of common sense and of what makes you comfortable.
The information is out there. Put in balance pros and cons, use your own judgment and gut feeling and act accordingly.