Written by Jessica Patella, ND. In a test with 156 subjects with mild cognition impairments, supplementing with B vitamins reduced brain shrinkage by 3.2% compared to the control group.
Mild cognitive impairment is common, affecting an estimated 16% of adults older than 70 years of age (1). For this reason, it is also a major public health concern with the rising age of the baby boomers. With aging, it has been found that levels of homocysteine increase. A recent research study has found B-vitamins lower homocysteine levels which directly leads to slowing cognitive decline (3).
The recent research study included 156 participants, of which 76 received placebo pills and 80 received B vitamins (0.8mg per day of folic acid, 0.5 mg per day of vitamin B12, 20 mg per day of vitamin B6) over a period of 2 years. The average age of participants was 76 years and all showed mild cognitive impairment.
After two years, brain atrophy or shrinkage was found in both groups, although participants receiving B-vitamins showed a significant reduction in brain atrophy or shrinkage compared to placebo (p<0.05) (3). The average brain atrophy measured by loss of gray matter (the type of brain tissue affected by Alzheimer’s Disease) was 3.7% in the placebo group, compared to 0.5% in the B-vitamin group (3).
Participants were also divided into two groups according to baseline measurements of homocysteine levels: those with high levels of homocysteine (above 11.06 micromol/L) and those with average levels or below (equal to or lower than 11.06 micromol/L). In this analysis, only those with high levels of homocysteine showed improvement with taking B-vitamins. Over two years, those with high homocysteine levels reduced brain atrophy from 5.2% to 0.6% in the B-vitamin group (p<0.05) (3). B-vitamin supplementation also lowered homocysteine levels by an average of 29% (3).
The areas of the brain that showed the most benefit from the B-vitamin supplementation, shown by a decrease in loss of gray matter, were the areas involved in visual and spatial learning and long-term memory, which are the areas of the brain most commonly affected by Alzheimer’s Disease (hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and retrosplenial cortex) (3).
In conclusion, elderly participants were at a greater risk for dementia as a result of high homocysteine levels. B-vitamin supplementation decreased this risk by decreasing the loss of gray matter and atrophy of areas of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (3). Future research with more participants, over longer periods of time still need to be conducted to determine if there is an optimal time to supplement B vitamins depending on homocysteine levels (3).
Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians.Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.
Source: Douaud, Gwenaëlle, et al. “Preventing Alzheimer’s disease-related gray matter atrophy by B-vitamin treatment.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110.23 (2013): 9523-9528.
Posted June 5, 2013.
References:
- Petersen RC, et al. (2009) Mild cognitive impairment: Ten years later. Arch Neurol 66(12):1447–1455.
- Pfeiffer CM, et al. (2008) Trends in circulating concentrations of total homocysteine among US adolescents and adults: Findings from the 1991-1994 and 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Clin Chem 54(5):801–813.
- Douaud G, et al. (2013) Preventing Alzheimer’s disease-related gray matter atrophy by B-vitamin treatment. PNAS doi:10.1073/pnas.1301816110.
