Elderly people who have low levels of vitamin B12 may face an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported last night.
The vitamin is found in fish, poultry and meat and can also be taken as a supplement.
The Scandinavian researchers say their study does not prove that supplements may work.
The findings, reported in the journal Neurology, come from a study of some 271 elderly Finnish people. Some 17 developed Alzheimer’s during the research.
The researchers linked this to high levels of the substance homocysteine in the blood. And they found that increased levels of vitamin B12 cut risk.
Researcher Dr Babak Hooshmand, of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, said: "Low levels of vitamin B12 are surprisingly common in the elderly. However, the few studies that have investigated the usefulness of vitamin B12 supplements to reduce the risk of memory loss have had mixed results.
"More research is needed to confirm these findings before vitamin B12 should be used solely as a supplement to help protect memory."
Neurology October 19 2010
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