A diet lacking in B-vitamins may increase the risk of vascular dementia, according to a US study.
Researchers tested the effects of a vitamin B-deficient diet on the spatial learning and memory of mice. They found that mice fed a diet deficient in folate and vitamins B6 and B12 over 10 weeks had deficits in spatial learning and memory compared with mice fed a normal diet.
Examination of the brains of the vitamin B-deprived mice showed that they had suffered microvascular damage in the regions of the brain involved in memory.
The vitamin B-deprived mice also had high blood serum levels of homocysteine, a chemical that has previously been associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment.
The researchers concluded that a diet deficient in B-vitamins causes cerebrovascular damage, and could result in cognitive impairment and dementia or other cerebrovascular disease.
Tags: b vitamins, b12, blood serum levels, brains, cerebrovascular disease, cognitive impairment, dementia, diet, folate, learning and memory, mice, regions of the brain, risk, study researchers, vascular dementia, vitamin b, vitamins b6