07 June 2013
Increased intakes of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 seem to prevent shrinkage (atrophy) of key brain regions related to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease in patients with increased dementia risk, reports a new study from UK.
In the randomized controlled trial, blood homocysteine concentration and volume of gray matter brain regions were measured in 156 elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment receiving daily doses of
B vitamins (0.8 mg folic acid, 0.5 mg vitamin B12 plus 20 mg vitamin B6) or placebo for two years (1).
The study results showed that the participants treated with B vitamins had significantly lower plasma homo-cysteine levels (by 29%) and a marked reduction (seven-fold) of gray matter shrinkage when compared to the placebo group. The beneficial effect of B vitamins was confined to participants with high homocysteine levels (above the median of 11 micromoles per liter) at the beginning of the study.
The researchers concluded that high-dose B vitamin supplementation can slow the atrophy (shrinkage caused by cell loss) of specific brain regions, which is a key component in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Further trials should focus on elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment and high homocysteine levels to see if progression to dementia can be prevented by B vitamin treatment. The results indicate that
B vitamins lower concentrations of homocysteine, which leads directly to a decrease in brain (gray matter) atrophy, thereby slowing cognitive decline, the scientists noted.
Many prospective studies have shown that high levels of plasma total homocysteine are associated with cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia (2), but randomized controlled trials using
B vitamin supplementation as homocysteine-lowering treatment have shown inconsistent results on cognitive function (3). Factors such as dosage, vitamin combination, duration of treatment and the population treated possibly account for some of the discrepancies (4).
15 January 2015
Vitamin D deficiency is already known to be harmful to physical health, but it may also impact mental health, according to a team of researchers who have found a link between seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and a lack of sunlight.
6 January 2012
Very high blood concentrations of vitamin D, like very low levels, could be associated with an increased mortality risk, suggests a new Danish study. Experts commented that the results were interesting but far from reality, considering the fact that vitamin D insufficiency is so widespread.
1 November 2012
For almost a century, the biological role of vitamin E has been a scientific puzzle. Since its discovery, vitamin E has been extensively researched by many scientists in an attempt to fully understand its role in a variety of diseases. The vast majority of published work has focused on vitamin E’s antioxidant properties, which is why it is well known as antioxidant that protects membranes from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Recent research has shown that vitamin E’s capacity to incorporate into plasma membrane and its ability to act there as antioxidant appears to be essential for the vitamin’s role in pro-moting membrane repair - the first evidence of one of vitamin E’s normal body functions.
