Can vitamin B prevent Alzheimer's

A daily 10p vitamin pill could prevent millions of people being struck down by Alzheimer’s disease,” the Daily Express has today reported. In a front-page story the newspaper said that vitamin B can help protect the brain from dementia, as demonstrated in new research that looked at whether high doses of vitamin B could help elderly people with mild memory problems.

The news is based on results presented at this week’s British Science Festival, where scientists have been discussing two sets of results from a recent study on high-dose vitamin B in people with mild cognitive impairment, I can be an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. The research found that, in a small number of tests, those taking vitamin B showed improvements compared with those taking a placebo dummy drug. Previous results published last September had shown that people taking vitamin B experienced 30% less brain atrophy shrinkage than those taking a placebo.

While its results look promising, this small, well-conducted study does not show that vitamin B can help prevent dementia. However, it suggests that high doses of the vitamin may help some people with MCI, which sometimes develops into dementia. A larger trial is required to explore the possible role of the vitamin in slowing progression to dementia.

This trial used very high doses of vitamin B that could not be obtained from a normal diet or standard supplements. High doses of any vitamin supplement may be harmful and the researchers warn that they can increase the risk of other conditions such as cancer. People wishing to use vitamin B supplements, particularly at doses over the recommended daily allowance
should consult their GP before doing so.