Dementia warning as breakfast cereals loved by millions of Britons may increase risk of brain decline
Just one bowl of fortified cereal could increase your risk of brain decline, new research suggests
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You might want to think twice before binging on your favourite breakfast cereal this morning as it could raise your risk of dementia.
That's the chilling takeaway from a new study exploring the adverse relationship between thiamin intake and the risk of cognitive decline.
Thiamin, or vitamin B1, is found naturally in many foods and added to others.
For example, it's added to some of Britain's favourite breakfast cereals.
According to the NHS, thiamin helps the body break down and release energy from food and keeps the nervous system healthy.
Excessive thiamin intake is associated with cognitive decline and an average bowl exceeds the recommended amount
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However, you can have too little or too much of a good thing, suggests a new study published in the journal General Psychiatry.
Researchers found a significant association between excessive or insufficient intake of thiamin and the risk of brain decline.
They suggested the "sweet spot" lies somewhere around 0.68mg per day.
However, an average bowl of most fortified breakfast cereals exceeds this threshold: the National Institutes of Health report that one serving contains 1.2 mg of thiamine.
To gather their findings, researchers looked at data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), which included 3,100 people between 1989 and 2011 who reported their diet from and took cognitive tests four times from 1997 to 2006.
The average age of a study subject was 63 and tests included word recall and number pattern challenges.
Over the course of follow-ups, a J-shaped curve between thiamine consumption and a decline in scores on the cognitive tests.
The J-shaped relationship refers to a protective health effect at a lower level of consumption; while above a certain threshold, it greatly increases health risks.
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PEXELSThe average thiamine intake among study subjects was 0.93 mg per day.
The J-shape curve revealed the optimal amount was 0.68 mg per day, but that a range between 0.6 mg and 1.00 mg per day had minimal risks.
However, every 1.0 mg per day above the safe limit of 0.68 mg was associated with a drop of 4.24 points on the global cognitive score.
The associations researchers observed were stronger in people who were obese, had high blood pressure or did not smoke.
The global cognitive score ranges from zero to 27, meaning a decline of about four points is a decline in cognitive function of at least 15 percent.
It comes hot on the heels of another study, which found that excessive intake of niacin, or vitamin B3, was associated with an increased risk of heart disease.