14 DAY TRIAL // According to the conclusions of a new scientific study, it would appear that low concentrations of vitamin B12 in the human brain may be directly responsible for a decrease in memory efficiency, as well as other types of cognitive declines. As such, the vitamin may be related to the onset of dementia.
Given the high number of seniors that are being diagnosed with various forms of the condition nowadays, any sort of clue that could lead experts to develop new drugs and therapies against this spectrum of conditions is welcome.
Poor memory and impaired cognitive skills are the hallmark of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, among many others. Experts noticed in the new study that low vitamin B12 levels appeared to have the same effects as these conditions do when they first start to develop.
The investigators, led by Rush University clinical nutritionist Christine Tangney, believe that boosting vitamin B12 concentrations in the brain may constitute a new, yet-unexplored avenue of attacking dementia from its onset.
In the new study the team conducted, 121 test subjects were put through a battery of tests that was meant to gage their cognitive abilities. Those with the lowest vitamin B12 levels fared the worst, significantly worse so than people with normal concentrations of the chemical in their system.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans also revealed that those who displayed the lowest performances also exhibited smaller brain volumes, on average. Various forms of dementia are also known to reduce brain volumes significantly, LiveScience reports.
“Every single marker of low vitamin B12 was correlated with low brain volume,” explains Tangney, who was herself a researcher on the new investigation. The most common sources for this vitamin include meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, as well as oysters.
Details of the new investigation were published in the September 27 issue of the top scientific journal Neurology. The team reports that people living in Third World countries, and those who adopt a vegan diet, exhibit the lowest concentrations of vitamin B12 in their systems.
“As folks get older, their guts change in their ability to absorb vitamin B12. For many people, the reason is that their stomach acid production is reduced,” the team leader goes on go say.
“We need further clinical trials to test whether extra B12 vitamins can slow down or prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease,” comments Oxford University neuroscientist David Smith, who was not part of the new study.