Vitamin B12: The Key to Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease
Vitamin B12: The Key to Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease
Vitamin B12 has been shown to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Vitamin E appears to stop the formation of amyloid-beta, a toxic protein that is present in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
The discovery was inspired by wriggling worms. Worms, it seems, can get Alzheimer's disease and then cease to wiggle.
Vitamin B12, on the other hand, can keep a worm moving for up to 36 hours. However, those that consume a similar diet as amyloid-beta do not stop wriggling—and it's all due to their vitamin B12 levels.
It's difficult to isolate the impact of the vitamin on complex humans, but it's straightforward to see in worms.
Vitamin D3 has been studied to prevent and treat a variety of brain health problems, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and dementia. It may also help reduce the risk of developing other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.
Despite our advanced age and genetic heritage, we can choose how we live our lives and what supplements we take. "One thing you can influence is what you consume; that matters a lot," said one of the study's authors, Jessica Tanis.