Good Vitamin B12 levels associated with reduced Alzheimers risk

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Maintaining healthy vitamin B12 levels may help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to a recent study.

Blood concentrations of homocysteine and holotranscobalamin (active vitamin B12) were measured in 271 Finnish men and women, aged between 65 and 79 years.

None had symptoms of dementia when the study began, however, after seven years, 17 had developed AD. Homocysteine was the focus of the study because high levels are associated with memory loss and stroke, and holotranscobalamin is thought to lower blood levels, thereby reducing risk.

During the study period, for each micromolar increase in homocysteine, the risk of Alzheimer’s rose by 16%; for each picomolar increase in transcobalamin, the risk of Alzheimer’s dropped by 2%.

Hooshmand B, Solomon A, Kayreholt I, et al. Homocysteine and holotranscobalamin and the risk of Alzheimer disease – A longitudinal study. Neurology 2010;75:1408-1414