Silica may help prevent Alzheimer's disease in women

In this study researchers in France kept track of the mental acuity, and the ingestion of tap water versus bottled water in 7598 women over the age of 75 from 5 cities. The researchers checked with the municipalities and the water bottling companies to assess the intake of calcium, aluminum, and silica from the water. Women with normal or higher mental function at the start of the study had a higher daily intake of silica. The second phase of the study followed women in Toulouse who had normal or higher mental scores for up to seven years. 323 of these women maintained normal cognitive function and 60 of these women developed Alzheimer's disease. The women who developed Alzheimer's disease were 2.7 times more likely to have considerably lower daily silica intake than the women retaining normal brain function. The study is published in the April 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.