Vitamin Information Center

A KEY vitamin found in fish, meat and milk may protect the brain as it ages, according to a new study.

The study, of 107 people aged 61-87, found that vitamin B12 could help stop the brain shrinking and maybe prevent memory loss in older people and dementia.

The study showed that those with lower vitamin B12 levels in their blood were six times more likely to experience brain shrinkage compared with those who had higher levels of the vitamin.

Researcher Anna Vogiatzoglou, from the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics at Oxford University, said: “Many factors that affect brain health are thought to be out of our control, but this study suggests that simply adjusting our diets to consume more vitamin B12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk may be something we can easily adjust to prevent brain shrinkage and so perhaps save our memory.

“Research shows that vitamin B12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among the elderly, so more vitamin B12 intake could help reverse this problem.”

The study looked at brain volume and loss was measured every year for five years. None of the people enrolled in the study were suffering memory loss at the start of the study and had sufficient vitamin B12.

The participants were given yearly physical examinations, MRI scans of their brains, tests to check their cognitive and memory skills, and blood tests to determine their levels of vitamin B12.

The results showed decrease in brain volume was greater among those with lower vitamin B12 levels.

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.

Taking vitamin C or E supplements, either individually or in combination, does not appear to lower the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults, study findings suggest.”Our study confirms findings from other studies,” lead investigator Dr Shelly L. Gray of the University of Washington, Seattle said. Vitamin E does not prevent memory problems or dementia.

Gray and colleagues followed 2 969 adults, 65 years of age or older, for an average of 5.5 years to determine if the use of vitamin E or C supplements altered the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

How the study was done
At study entry, nearly 33 and 38 percent, respectively, reported using vitamin E and C supplements, and 25 percent of the participants reported taking the vitamin supplements concurrently, the researchers reported the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The participants were an average of 75 years old and had no cognitive impairments. The investigators conducted biennial assessments for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Over the course of the study, 405 participants developed dementia and of these, 289 developed Alzheimer’s disease. As mentioned, the researchers observed no relationship between vitamin supplements and dementia risk.

The current evidence does not support the use of vitamin E or C supplements for the prevention of dementia in older adults, Gray and colleagues conclude.

“Older adults are still encouraged to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables,” Gray said. These foods provide natural sources of vitamins E and C and other substances that may have health benefits. � (ReutersHealth)

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The research that he presented to the conference yesterday suggested that taking regular multivitamin supplements could protect against some bad effects of micronutrient deficiencies. Continue Reading…

Elderly people deficient in a key type of vitamin B could have a three times higher chance of developing dementia, researchers say. A report authored by scientists at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and the National University Medical School in Korea found a greatly increased risk among those lacking vitamin B9, otherwise known as folate.

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