High Fat and Copper Diets Linked to Cognitive Decline

Ivanhoe Newswire
Thursday, August 17, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Add too much copper to a diet loaded with saturated fat and trans fatty acids, and you've got a recipe for rapid decline in thinking, learning and memory abilities.

Researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago studied 3,718 adults ages 65 and older. Participants took cognitive tests at the beginning of the study, after three years, and again after six years. About a year after the study began they also filled out a questionnaire about their diets.

Results reveal cognitive abilities declined in all participants as they got older. Overall, copper was not linked with this decline. In 604 participants with the most saturated and trans fats in their diets, however, cognitive function deteriorated faster if they ate more copper-rich foods.

"The increase in rate for the high-fat consumers whose total copper intake was in the top 20 percent (greater than or equal to 1.6 milligrams per day) was equivalent to 19 more years of age," the authors write. "This finding ... must be viewed with caution. The strength of the association and potential impact on public health warrant further investigation."

Foods with the highest copper levels are organ meats, like liver, and shellfish. Nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, potatoes, chocolate and some fruits also contain copper.

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SOURCE: Archives of Neurology, 2006;63:1085-1088