23 January 2015 - MedicalXpress - Diet affects brain iron levels differently in men and women, pilot study shows

High brain iron levels have been associated with neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Even healthy adults have higher iron concentrations in their brains as they age. But just how environmental factors, including diet, influence iron levels in the brain has not been well understood.

Now, University at Buffalo medical researchers have conducted a pilot study of the dietary habits of 190 healthy volunteers and have correlated them with brain iron levels using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning.

The researchers believe it is the first study investigating how diet influences in vivo- measured brain iron levels in healthy individuals.

In the UB study, dietary habits of 129 women and 61 men (mean age was 43.2) were investigated as potential predictors of brain iron levels. The volunteers reported on their intake of dairy products, vegetables, red meat, and iron and calcium supplements, and then underwent MRI scans. The scans were done using a robust neuroimaging technique called susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) on a 3 Tesla MRI scanner, which allowed for assessment of tissue iron in vivo.

The results showed that men who ate more dairy products and vegetables had higher iron levels in the brain. On the other hand, in women, dairy consumption did not seem to affect brain iron levels but higher vegetable intake was associated with lower brain iron levels.

The paper states "…it appears that increased vegetable intake has a beneficial effect for women in terms of brain iron levels, but has negative implications for men." That finding, Zivadinov says, underscores the need for additional study that should be carried out on the genders separately.