Senile Dementia and Alzheimer’s Can be Prevented with B Vitamins

Senile Dementia and Alzheimer’s
Can be Prevented with B Vitamins

Duthie SJ, Whalley LJ, Collins AR, Leaper S, Berger K, Deary IJ. Homocysteine, B vitamin status,
and cognitive function in the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr 2002 May;75(5):908-13.

A strong inverse correlation was found between blood levels of B-vitamins (specifically B-12 and folate) and decline of mental functioning with advanced age. Statistical analysis showed a high level of significance (p<0.01). Approximately 80 percent of elderly people with mental decline go on to develop more serious dementia—principally Alzheimer’s. In a group of 186 people, all 78 years old, mental function was compared with blood level measurements of B vitamins and homocysteine. Homocysteine increased with decreasing intake of B-12 and folate. Elderly people with the lowest levels of B vitamins had twice the risk of senile dementia and Alzheimer’s. Elevated homocysteine is also associated with atherosclerosis and heart disease.

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