London (PTI): Wants to stave off the risk of Alzheimer's? Just start eating a diet of green vegetables rich in folic acid. Researchers in South Korea have carried out a study and found that the deficiency of folates -- a form of Vitamin B -- in blood could lead to dementia. "Changes in micronutrients could be linked with the other typical signs that precede dementia, including weight loss and low blood pressure.

"While weight loss is unlikely to alter micronutrients in the blood, it may indicate dietary changes in the quality of food intake," according to the researchers at the Chonnam National University Medical School in Gwangju.

They monitored a group of 500 South Korean pensioners for two years before coming to the conclusion. The researchers found that 3.5 per cent of their study group were folate deficient to start with. These people were 3.5 times more likely to have developed dementia by the end of the study.

The disease was found to be more common in those who were older, relatively poorly educated and inactive, the researchers found in the study -- the results are published in 'The Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry'.

"The study's a further example of why it is so crucial for people to lead a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet rich in B vitamins and antioxidants," the 'BBC News' portal quoted Clive Ballard, the Director of Research at the UK Alzheimer's Society, as saying.