Vitamins in the prevention of senile dementia

• April 20, 2024

A investigation conducted at the University of Oxford (England) and recently published in the journal "PLoS One "(Public Library of Sciences One) shows that the consumption of high doses of vitamin B6 halves the forward speed of the cognitive impairment mild (MCI) or senile dementia. This is an important and beneficial discovery, especially for elderly people with mild problems of memory , since the DCL is a risk factor of Alzheimer's . The researchers worked with 217 volunteers older than 70 years with memory problems and MCI.

For the study, they divided the volunteers into two groups randomly and using double blind techniques. The first ones were given some pills named Trio Be Plus , which contained high doses of vitamin B6 , b12 vitamin Y folic acid . The second group was given placebo. The treatment lasted 24 months and the results showed that people treated with the Trio Be Plus pills cut their volume by half. brain , typical of the DCL.

To determine these results, they were used resonance images nuclear magnetic and a cognitive test at the end of the treatment period. The questionnaire also found a correlation between a higher rate of brain volume reduction and a lower score in the test. Although not all volunteers finished the treatment , no significant differences were detected between the side effects of the placebo group and the treated group.

The benefits of vitamin B6

Previous studies already related the vitamin B6 with the plasma levels of an amino acid known as homocysteine . This vitamin is a controller of the concentration of the amino acid in blood. When it is in high concentrations, it is considered a risk factor of Alzheimer's , so that a deficiency of B6 in the diet, could be related to suffering from the disease.

On the other hand, a review of several studies published with the Collaboration Cochrane Plus aims that vitamin B6 , in addition to being related to DCL and the Alzheimer's , could play a key role in other neuropsychiatric disorders such as migraines, seizures, chronic pain and depression. These are relevant results, if one takes into account that the epidemiological studies point out that in the diets of elderly , in general, there are vitamin B6 deficiency . Vitamin B6 can also be a key factor in other neuropsychiatric disorders such as migraines, seizures, chronic pain and depression.