Want to see our favorite hGH supplement? Click here!

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute have provided evidence that a deficiency of either vitamin B12 or folic acid (folate) is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimers Disease (AD) and dementia. The researchers speculated that homocysteine, a known neurotoxin, may be involved in the development of Alzheimers Disease (AD). Vitamin B12 and folic acid helped prevent this effect by reducing homocysteine levels in the body.

The study involved 370 non-demented people aged 75 years and older who were not supplemented with vitamin B12 or folate. The participants were tested at baseline to determine mental status and blood samples were drawn for analysis of vitamin B12 and folate levels. Only subjects who showed no signs of dementia were included in the follow-up group.

Three years later, it was discovered that 77 of the participants had developed dementia; of which 59 were diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease (AD). Compared with participants with normal levels of vitamin B12 and folate, the participants with low levels of at least one of the vitamins had a 2.3 times higher risk of Alzheimers Disease (AD) and a 1.7 times risk of any kind of dementia. Neurology (Vol. 56, No. 9, May 8, 2001, pp. 1188-94) added that these risk estimates were obtained after adjusting for other risk factors such as age, sex, and educational attainment.