Elderly people with low blood levels of vitamin B-12 and folate may face an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Vitamin B-12 plays an important role in maintaining nerve cells, and some research has linked low blood levels of the vitamin to Alzheimer's and mental decline. Few studies have looked at whether there is such a connection between Alzheimer's and folate, a B vitamin key to the production and maintenance of body cells.
In a study of 370 men and women aged 75 and older, investigators found that those with low levels of either vitamin were twice as likely as those with normal levels to develop Alzheimer's over a 3-year period. Surprisingly, the link was even stronger among study participants who performed well on mental tests at the start of the study.
The reason for the link is unclear, but low blood levels of B-12 and folate can lead to elevations in the amino acid homocysteine, which may in turn damage nerve cells, the authors note.
Vitamin B-12 is found in animal products, including
Vegetarians are frequently deficient in vitamin B-12.
Folate occurs naturally in foods such as
many cereals are fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of folate.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, affecting an estimated 4 million Americans. The exact cause remains elusive, but scientists believe genetics and environmental factors conspire to trigger the onset of the disease.
Neurology May 8, 2001;56:1188-1194
Early recognition and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is becoming increasingly important given an "explosion of information" of the memory-robbing disorder in recent years.
About 95% of patients with Alzheimer's disease can be accurately diagnosed with the disease while they're living. This is important as treatments are becoming available that seem to impact disease as far as cognitive function, standard of living and behavioral function go.
And while the disease is incurable, there are treatment options. The group issued a list of early warning signs of the disease, including:
To better rule out other causes of memory loss or dementia, brain imaging, whether it is computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is now recommended, according to the group. Genetic testing, however, has not been found to be particularly useful and is not recommended. Some genes have been found to increase the risk of the disorder.
Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology May 8, 2001 Philadelphia, PA
The elderly are not the only ones that need to worry about B12. In my practice (admittedly skewed, as I have never accepted Medicare as I do not believe in socialized medicine nor do I want to run the risk of federal imprisonment and millions of dollars in potential fines for innocently violating some absurd and obscure federal regulation), the most common cause of B12 deficiency is a person consuming a vegetarian diet.
It appears that we can now add Alzheimer's disease to the risk of pursuing a vegetarian diet. If you do need vitamin B 12 as a supplement, please be aware that oral or sublingual B 12 does not work very well. Injectable B12 is really the gold standard, but I outline another option with DMSO that is inexpensive and appears to be the equivalent (see link below).
There is also little question now that B12 and folic acid are both useful to reduce homocysteine and the associated increase in heart disease. This is no small issue as heart disease is currently the number one cause of death in this country.
Homocysteine can cause many problems in addition to heart disease. If a woman is pregnant or may possibly become pregnant, it is very important to keep homocysteine levels low, as it can cause birth defects.
One potential cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is the very popular drug Prilosec (omeprazole) which has been clearly shown to decrease B12 absorption (Ann Pharmacother 1999 May;33:641-3). This is possibly due to its effects on decreasing the production of intrinsic factor, which is needed for proper B12 absorption. Other medications likely have similar adverse effects as well.
Related Articles:
Vegetarians and Vegans Have Elevated Homocysteine Levels Vitamin B12 Widespread DMSO and Vitamin B12 Folic Acid Plus B12 May Cut Heart Risk
Vegetarians and Vegans Have Elevated Homocysteine Levels
Vitamin B12 Widespread
DMSO and Vitamin B12
Folic Acid Plus B12 May Cut Heart Risk