Danish researchers have found that dietary nitrate from vegetables may lower dementia risk. However, they linked the same nutrient found in drinking water and in animal foods to a higher risk.
The study in Alzheimer’s & Dementia followed over 54,000 participants for up to 27 years. They found that nitrate from plants boosted nitric oxide production, supporting beneficial vitamins and antioxidants.
Furthermore, the team calls for re-evaluation of water nitrate limits, as low levels of 5 mg/L have been associated with higher dementia risk. In the EU and Denmark, the regulatory limit for drinking water is currently set at 50 mg/L.
However, the team cautions that, since their study is the first and only one, further research is needed to examine this link. Additionally, because the research is observational, it cannot…