Vitamin B-12 and Folic Acid May Be Important For Dementia Patients

If you have a loved one who suffers with Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease supplemental B-12 and folic acid is inexpensive and may be helpful. For the rest of us, supplemental B-12 and folic acid not only protect our blood vessels from being damaged by elevated homocysteine, but may protect our cognitive processes as we age...

In a retrospective study involving 32 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 12 vascular dementia (VaD) patients, 83 dementia due to other causes (DOC) patients, and 127 controls, results indicate that AD and VaD patients may benefit from vitamin B12 and folate supplementation. In AD, VaD, and DOC patients, the levels of vitamin B(12), and folate were significantly lower, compared with controls. Thus, the authors of this study conclude, "Vitamin B(12) and folate were significantly low in both AD and VaD patients. Hence, B vitamin supplementation should be considered as possible targets for the therapeutic intervention in dementia." Vitamin B(12) and folate represent modifiable risk factors for dementia. Deficient or insufficient levels may increase the risk of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) as their deficiency can increase the homocysteine level due to slowed methylation reaction. Homocysteine elevation has a neurotoxic effect that could lead to neurologic disturbances. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21264133