Study Links B Vitamins to Slowing Progression of Dementia

Homocysteine-lowering B vitamins slowed brain atrophy over a 2-year period in subjects with mild cognitive impairment, according to a recent study published by AD Smith et al in PLoS One, a journalby the Public Library of Science. While dietary administration of B vitamins has previously been shown to reduce homocysteine levels in plasma, this study sought to specifically explore whether lowering homocysteine levels would slow accelerated brain atrophy in subjects with mild cognitive impairment.

The study employed 217 individuals randomly assigned to 2 groups of equal size. One group was treated with oral tablets containing folic acid (0.8 mg/d), vitamin B12 (0.5 mg/d), and vitamin B6 (20 mg/d), the other was treated with placebo.

Findings by the authors show a direct correlation of elevated homocysteine levels to accelerated brain atrophy in elderly individuals. This is an important link, as previous studies show that accelerated brain atrophy is one of the most important indicators of risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, in particular. Furthermore, the study revealed that atrophy can be slowed significantly by reducing homocysteine levels through dietary B-vitamin supplementation. Oral B-vitamin treatment showed a 31.7% reduction in plasma homocysteine levels compared to placebo. This was accompanied by a reduction in the brain atrophy rate of nearly 30%. The study also found no safety issues related to the treatment.

The strongest responses were measured in individuals with the highest baseline homocysteine levels, achieving a 53% reduction of atrophy rate in the top quartile. Conversely, individuals with baseline levels in the bottom quartile showed no effect from the treatment.

Although the study did not directly explore the effects of treatment on cognitive test scores, the authors used existing studies of B-vitamin effects on cognition and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease to extrapolate the expected benefits of linking reduced homocysteine levels to cognitive outcomes.

The complete study can be found at www.plosone.com (http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012244

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