Good Lifestyle

If you fell into the rabbit hole in food supplements, you may have read the advantages of the longevity linked to vitamin D, or how ashwagandha can stimulate the brain function and mood. Or maybe you've tried to take magnesium To help with poor sleep quality. Now new research indicates an additional supplement that could slow down the risk of dementia in the elderly.

In relation: Experts warn that common drugs can be linked to the risk of dementia .

Many older adults are deficient in vitamin B-12.

There are nine different types of B vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothetic acid, biotin, folate, B-6 and B-12-the last of which is associated with protection against dementia.

New research from TUFTS University say "while many elderly people can have B-12 levels in the" low to normal "range, they are simultaneously Develop neurological deficits linked to vitamin B-12 deficiency. »»

The National Institute of Aging (NIA) recommends that adults aged 50 and over Get 2,4 micrograms of vitamin B-12 every day. This vitamin is naturally found in meat, fish, poultry, milk and fortified breakfast cereals. However, as we get older, our body can find it difficult to absorb the B-12 food, which is why many doctors will advise elderly patients to take B-12 food supplements to prevent deficiency.

Irwin H. Rosenberg , MD, is a researcher and professor emeritus of Jean Mayer University in Tufts. In a press release, Rosenberg said that the relationship between vitamin B-12 deficiency and the cognitive decline, and therefore dementia, is "underdiagnosed and under-declared".

"The age-related cognitive decline is not only Alzheimer's disease," he continued. "We have gathered many types of brain dysfunction under a single name. And in doing so, we have ignored the way in which the critical blood vessels - and by extension, nutrition - are to preserve the brain function."

Almost half of adults are unable to absorb the "B-12 linked to food" at the age of 75 to 80 years. "This deficiency leads to a decrease in nervous health, especially in the spine and the brain, which can contribute to the risk of developing dementia in the elderly," said tufts researchers.

In relation: This little -known supplement can improve your memory, show new research .

Can powerful vitamin B levels ward off the effects of dementia?

In a precedent Best life Maintenance, registered dietitian Michelle Saari , MS, RD, said that evidence suggests "that the B-12 can help reduce brain atrophy and cognitive decline, especially in the elderly."

Vitamin B-12 is "vital for the maintenance and repair of nerve cells, which benefits our brain. It helps the formation of the protective coverage of the nerves, known as the myelin sheath, "said Saari, who works with Health project .

"Without B-12, this sheath can deteriorate, causing nerve damage. Healthy nerve cells are crucial for an effective brain function, and the B-12 plays a key role in ensuring the proper functioning and communication of these cells," she added.

But if the correlation between deficiency in B-12 and the risk of dementia is already "under-declared", then the impact of this deficiency on Alzheimer's disease is even more under-recognized.

Alzheimer's disease develops when there is "an abnormal accumulation of two proteins in the brain". These proteins are called amyloids and tau, and when they are grouped, they form "plates and tangles which are supposed to disturb the function of brain cells".

But according to Rosenberg, "cerebrovascular diseases and small diseases of the vessels, which are in some cases linked to the deficiency of B vitamins, is more widespread with cognitive decline and dementia than the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain."

And although this may be the case, the majority of research and the development of Alzheimer's drugs focus on cluster proteins. "The treatment of people with drugs intended to approach protein accumulation will not work if the cause of dementia symptoms is a B12 deficiency," said Rosenberg.

Looking towards the future, senior scientists from the JEAN Mayer USDA HUMAN NUTRITION RESEACH Center on Agging (HNRCA) carry out several studies on vitamin B and brain aging to better understand these effects.

"This study should give us a good command of the question of whether the B12 is linked to the cognitive decline and dementia. If this is the case, we hope that we can identify a simple and inexpensive intervention which could be started from years in advance and before real damage occurs," said Paul Jacques , MS, SCD, HNRCA principal scientist and professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, which is involved in research.