In many cases, supplements have long-term promise but are not as effective.
However, a powerful combination of nutrients resists this tendency.
Research shows that a combination of B vitamins and omega-3s can stop brain shrinkage by more than 70 percent, paving the way for a new weapon against dementia and cognitive decline.
The discovery, hailed as a “major step towards preventing Alzheimer’s disease”, was first made at the University of Oxford but has now been joined by research groups in the Netherlands, Sweden and China and 14 studies just published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Confirmed by review of research. .
The collaborative study, which followed a total of 4,913 people for six months to four years, concluded that “compared to placebo, increasing intake of both nutrients benefits cognitive function in older adults.” Ta.
The study, led by Professor David Smith, former Head of Pharmacology and Deputy Head of Medicine at the University of Oxford, and director of the Oxford Project Investigating Memory and Aging (OPTIMA), aims to detect the first signs of cognitive impairment in older people. was found to be visible. Supplementing people with sufficient intake of omega-3 fats with levels of B vitamins (B6, B12, folic acid) higher than those achievable in the diet reduced brain shrinkage over 1 year by 73% compared to a placebo. percentage decreased.
Another study showed that this reduction reduced the size of the brain to levels seen in older adults without cognitive decline.
“Its efficacy is better than any drug treatment to date and there are no side effects,” Professor Smith said.
In contrast, recent trials of anti-amyloid drugs have shown only a modest 4% reduction in brain shrinkage.
How does it work?
The key is to break down homocysteine, a toxic amino acid that accumulates when the body lacks B vitamins. Homocysteine accelerates the rate of brain shrinkage.
Some degree of atrophy and subsequent brain atrophy is common in older people, even in cognitively healthy people.
However, this atrophy is accelerated in people with mild cognitive impairment and even faster in people who eventually progress from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease.
This causes problems with thinking, remembering, and performing daily tasks.
Elevated homocysteine levels therefore mean that something is wrong with the important processes that control how we think, feel, and perceive.
And it completely depends on vitamin B.
Vitamins B12, B6, and folic acid break down homocysteine, thereby reducing brain shrinkage.
Vitamins B12, B6, and folic acid break down homocysteine, thereby reducing brain atrophy.
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Some people have poor absorption of vitamin B12. Psychologist and author Patrick Holford told GB News that some people simply need more B vitamins and their biochemical properties than others, especially if their diet is already deficient. It can lead to mental or neurological disorders,” he added.
Through his nonprofit organization, Food for the Brain, Holford is on a mission to spread the word about the power of the combination of B vitamins and omega-3s.
Three other research groupsin the Netherlands, China and Sweden. The combination of omega-3 and B vitamins has been shown to be much more effective than either nutrient alone.
A large-scale trial called B-proof conducted in the Netherlands found that people with low omega-3 levels did not see any benefit from B vitamins, but those with sufficient omega-3 levels significantly improved cognition. It was found that this was improved.
A Swedish trial gave omega-3 fish oil to older adults and found no significant cognitive effects, but divided participants into three groups from lowest to highest B vitamin status. was reanalyzed. The vitamin B-sufficient group, indicated by lower blood homocysteine levels, showed three times the clinical improvement reported in a recent lecanemab anti-amyloid drug trial. v
Meanwhile, a study in China gave people with pre-dementia the B vitamins folic acid, omega-3s, or both compared to a placebo. Although B vitamin treatment and omega-3 treatment slightly improved cognitive core, the improvement was much greater for those given both of these nutrients.
