DOES VITAMIN B12 REDUCE THE RISK OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE?

October 18, 2010 |By Babak Hooshmand, MD, MSc, ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2010) A new study shows that vitamin B12 may protect against Alzheimer's disease, adding more evidence to the scientific debate about whether the vitamin is effective in reducing the risk of memory loss. The research will be published in the October 19, 2010, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ROLE OF VITAMIN B12 "Our findings show the need for further research on the role of vitamin B12 as a marker for identifying people who are at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease," said study author Babak Hooshmand, MD, MSc, with Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. "Low levels of vitamin B12 are surprisingly common in the elderly. However, the few studies that have investigated the usefulness of vitamin B12 supplements to reduce the risk of memory loss have had mixed results." For the seven-year study, researchers took blood samples from 271 Finnish people age 65 to 79 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. During that time, 17 people developed Alzheimer's disease. Blood samples were tested for levels for homocysteine, an amino acid associated with vitamin B12, and for levels of the active portion of the vitamin, called holotranscobalamin. Too much homocysteine in the blood has been linked to negative effects on the brain, such as stroke. However, higher levels of vitamin B12 can lower homocysteine. FACTORS THAT WOULD LEAD TO LOSS OF MEMORY The study found that for each micromolar increase in the concentration of homocysteine, the risk of Alzheimer's disease increased by 16 percent, whereas each picomolar increase in concentration of the active form of vitamin B12 reduced risk by two percent. The results stayed the same after taking into account other factors, such as age, gender, education, smoking status, blood pressure and body mass index. The addition of folate did not appear to raise or lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease. "More research is needed to confirm these findings before vitamin B12 should be used solely as a supplement to help protect memory," said Hooshmand. WHERE DOES VITAMIN B12 FOUND? Vitamin B12 can be found in fish, poultry and other meat products.

Journal Article Review a Special project in CC2

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March 9, 2012

The study was supported by the Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish Research Council for Medical Research, the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme, the Academy of Finland, the Ragnhild and Einar Lundstrms Minne Lindhs Foundation, the Stohnes Foundation, the Gamla Tjanarinnor Foundation and the Dementia Foundation of Sweden. Reference: Vitamin B12 may reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease (2010). Retrieved from: http// www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101018162922.htm/ On February 26, 2012.

Journal Article Review a Special project in CC2

By: Dioneca Rose V. Tanallon

March 9, 2012

MTEC 210 CLINICAL CHEMISTRY (END TERM) Analysis: What comes into your mind when you heard the word vitamin B12? Can it really reduce the risk of Alzheimers disease? According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the term vitamin B12 refers to a group of cobalt-containing vitamer compounds known as cobalamins; which include the following: cyanocobalamin (an artifact formed from using activated charcoal, which always contains trace cyanide, to purify hydroxycobalamin), hydroxocobalamin (another medicinal form, produced by bacteria), and finally, the two naturally occurring cofactor forms of B12 in the human body: 5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin (adenosylcobalaminAdoB12), the cofactor of Methylmalonyl Coenzyme A mutase (MUT), and methylcobalamin (MeB12), the cofactor of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase (MTR). In this journal article, it is stated that People who eat a diet rich in vitamin B12 may be protecting themselves from Alzheimer's disease. Usually, person who have the higher risk of developing this kind of disease are those who age 65 and up, why? It is simply because elders have weak immune system that would give them lots of complications in their health such as anxiety, deficiency in Vitamin B12 intake, and etc. Many nutritionally oriented doctors recommend vitamin B12 intake for an adult ranges from 2 to 3 g per day. I f these would exceed to the recommended dietary allowance it will cause no problem at all, its just that our body should at least obtain greater or within 3 g per day to avoid memory loss. Foods that are rich in Vitamin B12 are the following: Salmon, Poultry products, and Other meat products Fortified breakfast cereals Diagnostically Vitamin B12 deficiency can be due to: Pernicious anemia an autoimmune disease in which parietal cells of the stomach responsible for secreting intrinsic factor are destroyed. Intrinsic factor is crucial for the normal absorption of B12. In order to obtain a longer and sharper memory, daily recommended dietary allowance should be properly met from the foods rich in vitamin B12. And also, we must be aware of the signs and symptoms that would generate an Alzheimers disease.

Journal Article Review a Special project in CC2

By: Dioneca Rose V. Tanallon

March 9, 2012