Vitamin B12 May Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

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Mounting evidence suggests that vitamin B12 may play a role in protecting the brain against Alzheimer's disease and in reducing the risk of memory loss.

The latest research, published in the Oct. 19 issue of the journal Neurology, followed 271 Finnish residents ages 65 to 79 for seven years. None of the study participants had symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease at the start of the study.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, tested blood samples of the participants for homocysteine, an amino acid associated with vitamin B12, and for levels holotranscobalamin, which is the active portion of B12, according to a statement from the study authors.

High levels of homocysteine in the blood have been associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's, but increased levels of B12 can lower homocysteine levels. During the course of the study, 17 participants developed Alzheimer's disease. And study authors found that for each micromolar increase in homocysteine concentration, the risk of Alzheimer's disease was increased 16 percent.

They also found that each picomolar (1 picomolar equals 1 million micromolar) increase in concentration of the active form of vitamin B12 reduced risk of the disease by 2 percent.

"Our findings show the need for further research on the role of vitamin B12 as a marker for identifying people who are at an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease," said study author Dr. Babak Hooshmand, of the Karolinska Institutet, in a statement. "Low levels of vitamin B12 are surprisingly common in the elderly. However, the few studies that have investigated the usefulness of vitamin B12 supplements to reduce the risk of memory loss have had mixed results."

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