B Vitamins May Slow Cognitive Decline

Homocysteine is a compound for which high levels are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and cognitive decline including Alzheimer’s Disease.   Some previous studies have shown that certain B vitamins can counter the levels of circulating homocysteine.  Celeste A. de Jager, from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), and colleagues studied 133 participants with elevated homocysteine levels, each of whom received 0.8 mg folic acid, 0.5 mg vitamin B12, and 20 mg vitamin B6, for a two-year period. A similarly sized group of subjects served as controls, receiving a placebo supplement. Among those receiving the B vitamin supplement, the team observed marked improvements in both episodic memory and semantic memory. Observing that:  “B vitamins appear to slow cognitive and clinical decline in people with MCI, in particular in those with elevated homocysteine,” the researchers urge for: “Further trials are needed to see if this treatment will slow or prevent conversion from [mild cognitive impairment] to dementia.”