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   B vitamins slow brain atrophy in people with memory problems   
      
   Date:   
   September 14, 2010   
   Source:   
   University of Oxford   
      
   Daily tablets of certain B vitamins can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in   
   elderly people who suffer from mild memory problems, an Oxford University   
   study has shown.   
   The two-year randomised clinical trial is the largest to study the effect of B   
   vitamins on mild cognitive impairment, and one of the first disease-modifying   
   trials in the Alzheimer's field to show positive results in people.   
      
   Around 1 in 6 elderly people over the age of 70 has mild cognitive impairment,   
   experiencing problems with memory, language, or other mental functions, but   
   not to a degree that interferes with daily life. Around half of people with   
   mild cognitive    
   impairment go on to develop dementia -- mainly Alzheimer's disease -- within   
   five years of diagnosis.   
   Certain B vitamins -- folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 -- are known to   
   control levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood, and high levels of   
   homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's.   
      
   So the Oxford team set out to see whether supplements of the B vitamins that   
   lower homocysteine could slow the higher rate of brain shrinkage, or atrophy,   
   observed in mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's.   
      
   The study followed 168 volunteers aged 70 or over with mild memory problems,   
   half of whom took high dose B vitamin tablets for two years and the other half   
   a placebo tablet. The researchers assessed disease progression in this group   
   by using MRI scans to    
   measure the brain atrophy rate over a two-year period. The findings are   
   published in the journal PLoS ONE.   
      
   The team found that on average the brains of those taking the folic acid,   
   vitamin B6 and B12 treatment shrank at a rate of 0.76% a year, while those in   
   the placebo group had a mean brain shrinkage rate of 1.08%. People with the   
   highest levels of    
   homocysteine benefited most, showing atrophy rates on treatment that were half   
   of those on placebo.   
      
   Along with rate of brain shrinkage, the team from the Oxford Project to   
   Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) also monitored cognitive test scores,   
   revealing that those with the slowest rate of shrinkage scored more strongly.   
   The team suggests that, since the rate of brain atrophy is known to be more   
   rapid in those with mild cognitive impairment who go on to develop   
   Alzheimer's, it is possible that the vitamin treatment could slow down the   
   development of the disease. Clinical    
   trials to test this should now be carried out, they add.   
   'It is our hope that this simple and safe treatment will delay the development   
   of Alzheimer's disease in many people who suffer from mild memory problems,'   
   said Professor David Smith of the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford   
   University, a co-leader of    
   the trial. 'Today there are about 1.5 million elderly in UK, 5 million in USA   
   and 14 million in Europe with such memory problems.   
   'These are immensely promising results but we do need to do more trials to   
   conclude whether these particular B vitamins can slow or prevent development   
   of Alzheimer's. So I wouldn't yet recommend that anyone getting a bit older   
   and beginning to be    
   worried about memory lapses should rush out and buy vitamin B supplements   
   without seeing a doctor,' he said.   
      
   Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which   
   co-funded the study, said: 'These are very important results, with B vitamins   
   now showing a prospect of protecting some people from Alzheimer's in old age.   
   The strong findings must    
   inspire an expanded trial to follow people expected to develop Alzheimer's,   
   and we hope for further success.   
      
   'We desperately need to support research into dementia, to help avoid the   
   massive increases of people living with the condition as the population ages.   
   Research is the only answer to what remains the greatest medical challenge of   
   our time.'   
      
   Professor Chris Kennard, chair of the Medical Research Council's Neurosciences   
   and Mental Health Board which co-funded the study, said: 'This MRC-funded   
   trial brings us a step closer to unravelling the complex neurobiology of   
   ageing and cognitive decline,   
    which holds the key to the development of future treatments for conditions   
   like Alzheimer's disease. The findings are very encouraging and we look   
   forward to further research that is needed in order to test whether B vitamins   
   can be recommended as a    
   suitable treatment.'   
      
   Story Source:   
   The above story is based on materials provided by University of Oxford. Note:   
   Materials may be edited for content and length.   
      
   Journal Reference:   
   A. David Smith, Stephen M. Smith, Celeste A. de Jager, Philippa Whitbread,   
   Carole Johnston, Grzegorz Agacinski, Abderrahim Oulhaj, Kevin M. Bradley,   
   Robin Jacoby, Helga Refsum, Ashley I. Bush. Homocysteine-Lowering by B   
   Vitamins Slows the Rate of    
   Accelerated Brain Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized   
   Controlled Trial. PLoS ONE, 2010; 5 (9): e12244 DOI: 10.1371/jou   
   nal.pone.0012244   
      
   Cite This Page:   
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   University of Oxford. "B vitamins slow brain atrophy in people with memory   
   problems." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 September 2010.    
      
      
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