Trying my best at translating an article that appeared in the Flemish newspaper today.

Vitamin B slows down Alzheimer's Disease

British research at the university of Oxford has demonstrated that vitamin B may slow down the deterioration of the human brain. It should be possible to use the vitamin as a new weapon against dementia and possibly even Alzheimer.

168 elderly people were followed, who recently started having language and memory problems.

The group was divided in two. One half took Vitamin B6 And B12 tablets for two years. The other half were given placebo. Then brain scans were taken.

From the scans it appears that the brains of the people who were given vitamin supplements had 30 to 50% less deterioration than normal.

Researcher David Smith says "Vitamins such as B6 and B12 protect the brain. This is important since we want to protect the brain as much as possible so that Alzheimer can be prevented".

The researchers plan to expand their research now. They want to be certain that such large doses of vitamins do not cause health problems.

This has been one of the top stories on the news here today. An English version can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11232356

Homocysteine-Lowering by B Vitamins Slows the Rate of Accelerated Brain Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial


The full text of the article is online and free at the above link.

From the above study we see


I've only done a quick google search and can't find a source for that particular blend.

However this selection is similar.

Now Foods, B-6 Pyridoxine HCl, 50 mg, 100 Tablets

Quote:

Because the half-life of pyridoxine is 15-20 days and it is not significantly bound to plasma proteins, and the limited stores may be depleted within two to six weeks on a pyridoxin-free diet, a daily supply is required. Excess pyridoxine is excreted in the urine.

Now Foods, Methyl B-12, 1000 mcg, 100 Lozenges

This form of B12 is regarded as the best absorbed and therefore an improvement on the type used in the study.
It is double the amount used more about
More about Vitamin B12 here from which you see


Now Foods, Folic Acid with Vitamin B-12, 800 mcg, 250 Tablets
The B12 in this form while the same as in the study (but just half the study amount) is not well absorbed so taking one of the above Methyl B-12 once weekly will make up the deficit and be more likely to be used.
More on Folic acid
This is exactly as used in the study.
The links provided to examples go to IHERB because their shipping to UK is cheapest.The total cost is $14.94 and that provides a longer supply than using a Vitamin B complex and I haven't actually (only spent a short time searching) found an exact equivalent Vit B complex to match the study. Introductory code ~~~~~~ saves $5 at IHERB.

Don't forget this isn't to say that correcting vitamin D, omega 3 and magnesium deficiency status won't also improve brain function as all three work as anti inflammatory agents in the brain. So please don't take the results of this study to ditch those and convert to vitamin B complex alone.
Mercola has a reasonable article on strategies to reduce Alzheimer risk so you can cover all options.

I should perhaps add that those study participants who prior to and during the study, used a multivitamin, showed no change from the extra provided during the study, so, if you are already taking a multivitamin adding the above may not make any difference at all. However note the difference between the form B12 used and the one I suggest. That may make a difference.

In "Is risk of Alzheimer disease a reason to use dietary supplements?" Dwyer & DeTolve Donoghue conclude" dietary supplement use is unlikely to prevent cognitive impairment or AD, nor is e41 status an indication for their use. Behaviors that reduce cardiovascular disease risk are more promising."

"e41 status" is a high risk genotype for AD.

So really all this is saying is that people who already have mild congitive impairment and who don't take a multivitamin, may well slow the rate of decline if they use folic acid, B12, B6 complex or a multivit.

Or you can just eat a fat juicy steak.

One word.......METANX =)

Steak doesn't have folate.....or, if supplementing, methyl-folate. One can get toxic with folic acid, so methyl-folate is much better for supplementing.

I thought I ought to read a bit more about Homocysteine.

Homocysteine as a Risk Factor for Disease

Homocysteine Reduction How Much Is Safe?
The first link says

And the second says
So although the Alzheimer's study showed no extra benefit for those who took at multivitamin before the study and continued with it as well as the study protocol vits as far a atrophy rate was concerned their baseline tHcy was 9.9 and the study found no one with levels around 9.5 showed benefits from their extra Bvits.

So are there better more effective choices that would lower homocysteine more?

If we change my original cheapo selection of the B vitamins used in this study for versions that offer potential advantages.
Source Naturals, Coenzymated B-6 (Pyridoxal -5'-phosphate), 100 mg, 60 Tablets $9.80

Pure Advantage, B-12, methylcobalamin 500 mcg Spray, 1 fl oz $10.82

Life Extension, Optimized Folate (L-Methylfolate), 1000 mcg, 100 Veggie Caps $21.00

I found this Thorne article on B6 interesting

Nicotinic acid (NA), a widely used drug to lower elevated plasma lipid levels, induced Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase enzyme activity in white adipose tissue of mice. In tissue culture nicotinamide treatment led to an increase in adipose tissue homocysteine secretion. These data support the concept that adipose tissue Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase contributes to the increased plasma homocysteine levels in patients treated with Nicotinic acid.
So do human fat cells increase homocysteine levels in people who use Niacin?

Perhaps some of us do have to work harder at lowering homocysteine.

If you want natural B vitamins, the absolute best source is calf's liver, not meat.

amanda

Calf's liver is a meat!

did they actually do any cognitive tests on the participants to see if the brain scan results= real life disease?

This suggests that what might be going on is indeed malnutrition.

I'm with Martin, eat steak!
And Hi Pilili! I am originally from Belgium too!

Nice to meet a compatriot!

This is in the BBC article posted earlier in this thread.

Pity that the advice from the GP on BBC breakfast news was to add wheat germ to the diet. No mention of meat at all.