WHAT IS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE? Studies indicate that forty percent of the population might be at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause memory loss, dementia like symptoms, does cause shrinkage in the brain, and can cause mean and challenging behavior. Several years ago I started reading up on all the B vitamins. I learned vitamin B12 deficiency is wide spread especially among the elderly. It is easy to understand why. If you don't eat foods that are rich in vitamin B12 you won't get enough into your body. I also learned that as you age your brain shrinks. Baby boomers and dementia caregivers should pay attention to this information. The Framingham Offspring Study found that Vitamin B12 Deficiency is a big problem. As many as forty percent of the population might be at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency. With that in mind, I believe every person over the age of 60, and especially Alzheimer's caregivers, should consider B12 shots, and should focus on the need to get ample amounts of B vitamins into their body.
We need our Vitamin to operate efficiently in our caregiving efforts. There are studies that show that vitamin B deficiency can cause moodiness and depression like symptoms. Is your dementia patient moody, challenging, hard to deal with at times? Do you feel tired and worn out? My mom, Dotty, received a vitamin B12 shot every month for 6 years. While there is no conclusion evidence, I believe it helped improved her energy level and behavior. I also believe it could explain in part why she continued to read, speak, and function at a level higher than would have been expected by her test scores on memory test like the MMSE. Dotty scored a 14 (moderate to severe dementia) in December 2009. Nevertheless, she was still reading, singing and using her hands to color in 2012, just months before she died and went to Heaven. In my (our) all out battle to delay the effects of Alzheimer's on the brain, I believe vitamin B was a critical part of our overall routine to accomplish that mission.
I am not a doctor, however, I believe every dementia patient should receive a B12 shot monthly. Alzheimer's patients just don't eat enough, or don't always eat the right foods, to insure they are getting enough B12 into there body. Why not consider asking your doctor for vitamin B12 shots to raise the level of B12 in your body, and in the body of the person you are caring for. Will it change the caregiving dynamic? Will it help improve behavior and slow the loss of brains cells of a person living with dementia? I suggest you discuss this with your doctor. You might also want to discuss this is support groups and share on Facebook. "The Alzheimer's Reading Room and Bob DeMarco are true treasures to Alzheimer's patients and their loved ones, especially their caregivers. As a scientist I visit the site every day for the always current research updates." Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. Professor of Neurology and holder of the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Neurology at Harvard University.
Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room (ARR). Bob is a recognized writer, speaker, and influencer in the Alzheimer's and Dementia Community worldwide. Original content the Alzheimer's Reading Room() -- People who consume lots of foods rich in vitamin B12 -- such as fish and fortified cereals -- may be at lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than people who take in less of the vitamin, a small study conducted in Finland suggests. In the study, which was published in Neurology, researchers in Scandinavia analyzed blood samples from 271 individuals ages 65 to 79 who showed no evidence of dementia. The researchers tested for levels of a blood marker of vitamin B12 and for levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (as well as heart disease and stroke). B vitamins, including B12 and folate, have been shown to help lower homocysteine levels, so high levels of the amino acid suggest low levels of B12.
: 9 foods that may help save your memory Over the next seven years, 17 study participants were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The people with the highest levels of homocysteine at the beginning of the study had the greatest risk of developing the disease. In contrast, each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12 (known as holotranscobalamin) reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer's by 2 percent. The relationship between vitamin B12 and Alzheimer's risk is "complex," says Dr. Sudha Seshadri, M.D., an associate professor of neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine and the author of an editorial accompanying the study. But, she adds, "B12 levels, particularly holotranscobalamin levels, likely play a contributory role." The links among Alzheimer's risk, homocysteine, and B12 were more pronounced in older individuals, the study found. : 25 signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease Blood levels of folate, which the researchers also measured, were not related to homocysteine levels or Alzheimer's risk in this study.
Folic acid -- a synthetic version of folate found in many supplements and multivitamins -- has been shown to lower homocysteine in previous studies, but its effect on disease risk is disputed. A National Institutes of Health panel recently concluded that there are no foods or vitamins that definitively prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease, and experts say this study is consistent with the panel's recommendations. "A healthy diet likely remains important," Seshadri says. "The role of supplementation remains unclear." : Ginkgo doesn't work: are there better ways to save your brain? Maria Carillo, Ph.D., the senior director of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer's Association, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, urges caution in interpreting the new findings, especially given that so few study participants developed the disease. "We do know that vitamin B12 is a huge contributor to lowering homocysteine levels," she says. "Lowering these in general is important for cardiovascular health, and this study strengthens our knowledge about its role in risk for Alzheimer's disease."