Vitamin B 'Could Delay Alzheimer's'

A new study has revealed that Vitamin B could help delay Alzheimer's Disease.

The research, published in the online journal Public Library of Science One, found that high daily doses of B vitamins could halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - a condition with symptoms such as mild memory lapses and language problems, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Brain shrinkage, or atrophy, which is a natural part of ageing, happens faster with people who have MCI and go on to suffer Alzheimer's. The average brain shrinks at a rate of 0.5% per year after the age of 60, but the brains of those with MCI shrink twice as fast, while Alzheimer's sufferers' brains shrink by 2.5 per cent per year.

During the study, conducted by a team of British-led scientists, half of the volunteers were given a daily tablet containing levels of the B vitamins folate, B6 and B12 above the recommended daily amount, while the other volunteers were given a placebo.

Researchers found that the brain shrinkage of those taking the B vitamins slowed by an average of 30 per cent after two years, with some people showing more than 50 per cent of brain shrinkage.

The researchers said that more research is needed to discover whether high doses of B vitamins could delay or perhaps even prevent development of Alzheimer's.

(KMcA/BMcC)