The information below says, "people who had higher vitamin B12 levels were six times less likely to experience brain shrinkage."
They are unwilling to guess whether taking (or giving) vitamin B12 to someone already experiencing Alzheimer's, and therefore presumablyl experiencing brain shrink, would do any good.
But it might help.
They suggest that "simply adjusting our diets to consume more vitamin B12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk" might help.
However, vitamin B12 in not always well absorbed in oral form. That includes food, and supplements, both.
What to do? Sublingual tablets, that dissolve under the tongue. Or spray, which is sprayed into the mouth onto the sides of the cheeks. Those forms will go straight into the bloodstream, absorption problem hopefully avoided.
Vitamin B-12 is basically non-toxic. The Journal of Nutrition says, "No toxic effects have been reported when up to 100 µg/day are consumed." So it's perfectly safe to just try it for a week or two and see if it makes a difference.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Vitamin B12, a nutrient found in meat, fish and milk, may protect against brain volume loss in older people, according to a study published in the September 9, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
For the study, 107 people between the ages of 61 and 87 underwent brain scans, memory testing and physical exams. Researchers also collected blood samples to check vitamin B12 levels. Brain scans and memory tests were also performed again five years later.
The study found that people who had higher vitamin B12 levels were six times less likely to experience brain shrinkage compared with those who had lower levels of the vitamin in their blood. None of the people in the study had vitamin B12 deficiency.
"Many factors that affect brain health are thought to be out of our control, but this study suggests that simply adjusting our diets to consume more vitamin B12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk may be something we can easily adjust to prevent brain shrinkage and so perhaps save our memory," said study author Anna Vogiatzoglou, MSc, with the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
"Research shows that vitamin B12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among the elderly, so more vitamin B12 intake could help reverse this problem. Without carrying out a clinical trial, we acknowledge that it is still not known whether B12 supplementation would actually make a difference in elderly persons at risk for brain shrinkage."
"Previous research on the vitamin has had mixed results and few studies have been done specifically with brain scans in elderly populations. We tested for vitamin B12 levels in a unique, more accurate way by looking at two certain markers for it in the blood," said Vogiatzoglou.
When Sid was initially diagnosed with AD, part of the evaluation included blood tests. He was low on B, but I'm not sure which B. In any case, the doctor prescribed Metanx. It has the highest doses of B vitamins that I have ever seen. It is not covered by insurance, so I figured I could just by large doses of the B vitamins that it contained, but the doses are so high, they are not sold over the counter.
Yes, I could have bought double and triple OTC, but that would have cost as much as it costs to pay for the prescription. So he takes a daily Metanx. I have no idea if it has helped, because I don't know how he would be without it.
My husband was also tested for B12 levels prior to the Alzhemed study and his levels were Ok. He has been taking the sublingual variety since then. I just saw on the news today that people who take B12 supplements show less brain atrophy. I have decided to start taking it myself.
longyears thank you for the article. Since my neurological diseases I have been taking B12. I wasn't able to absorb enough of it, so I had to start having shots in 2000. When Lynn was tested his levels were fine. But, my neurologist suggested I still give him B12 and folic acid. I trust my doctor, so he has been taking these for years.
Nikki and everyone, hope the information is helpful.
After reading the comments so far, I'd like to add a couple of things.
First, about the injections. I'm not a fan of these because -- I think, and this is my opinion, I haven't researched it -- I think they are not as well absorbed as the sublingual. The reason? I suspect that because it's a very large amount all at once, the body's methods for dispersing it may get overwhelmed. Therefore I'm personally in favor of sublingual lozenges; every day or every 2 or 3 days.
Second, I forgot something. Vitamin B-12 and folic acid go hand in hand. If someone could use more folate, whether they have a serious deficiency or not, then giving them B-12 alone could be a mistake. It would make the need for folate more a urgent need. So Nikki is right -- best to make sure there is some source of folate also . . . How about food? Does anyone eat liver any more?
Our neurologist at Mayo ran all the blood tests - B12 came back a little low and so we tried injections for a few months. The neuro stated that if it was truly a B12 deficiency that we would see a fairly dramatic improvement - we didn't. If there was something out there that was really working, we'd know about it.
We're really the sum total of how we've treated our bodies for the first 50 years. If you've treated it poorly for the first fifty years, it's an uphill battle after that.
I don't know if this is going to help my brain, but 30 years ago, I was having MAJOR b....h attacks. Much more so than the normal PMS. I was nasty, on edge, and well, extremely grumpy all of the time. My ob-gyn at the time put me on a high potency B complex. Within a week, it smoothed out the moods - I was my sweet loving self again (LOL), and I have been on that vitamin ever since.
It worked so well, that if I was off of it for more than 5 days, Sid would say to me - "You're not taking your B (for b...h) pills, are you?
So if my brain stays in tact, I guess I have Dr. Becker to thank for it.
However, if as Iggy says, and I believe he is correct, we are the sum total of how we have treated our bodies for the first 50 years, I am in deep chocolate.