Vitamin B12 Prevents Cerebral Atrophy by Jeffrey Dach MD

[Jeffrey Dach MD]

Low Vitamin B12

Associated with Shrinking Brain

by Jeffrey Dach MD

Link to the original article with illustrations:

http://jeffreydach.com/2008/09/09/low-b12-shrinks-your-brain-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx

A new study by Vogiatzoglou in Neurology 2008, finds that low B12
levels are associated with cerebral atrophy.(1) This is not
surprising given the importance of B12 for nerve and brain cell
function.

Cerebral Atrophy is Normal with Aging

It is well known that as we age, our brains gradually lose volume and
shrink in a process called cerebral atrophy. Ask any radiologist who
reads brains scans and they will agree that the older the patient, the
more likely they will see enlarged cerebral ventricles and enlarged
sulci (CSF spaces) indicating cerebral atrophy. This is loss of brain
tissue (gray and white matter) with age.

Other Causes of Cerebral Atrophy

Other causes of cerebral atrophy are things like alcoholism which is
toxic to the brain. Here is a more complete list of diseases and
causes of cerebral atrophy.(2)

1) stroke and traumatic brain injury
2) Alzheimer’s disease, Pick’s disease, senile dementia, fronto-
temporal dementia, and vascular dementia
3) cerebral palsy
4) Huntington’s disease, and other gene-linked, hereditary diseases
5) leukodystrophies, such as Krabbe disease, which destroy the myelin
sheath that protects axons
6) mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, such as Kearns-Sayre syndrome
7) multiple sclerosis, which causes inflammation, myelin damage, and
lesions in cerebral tissue
8) infectious diseases, such as encephalitis, neurosyphilis,
9) epilepsy
10) toxins

Now, we must add B12 deficiency to the above list.

Conclusion: Remember to take you B12 supplement every day as
recommended by the 2005 revised USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, MyPyramid.

See my previous article for more on information on B12, Vitamin B12
Deficiency, the Epidemic of Misdiagnosis by Jeffrey Dach MD.

Jeffrey Dach MD
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Hollywood Fl 33021
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Links and References

(1) www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/71/11/826
NEUROLOGY 2008;71:826-832

Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling
elderly
A. Vogiatzoglou, MSc, H. Refsum, MD, PhD, C. Johnston, S. M. Smith,
DPhil, K. M. Bradley, FRCR, FRCP, C. de Jager, PhD, M. M. Budge, MD
and A. D. Smith, DPhil, FMedSci

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between markers of vitamin
B12 status and brain volume loss per year over a 5-year period in an
elderly population.

Methods: A prospective study of 107 community-dwelling volunteers aged
61 to 87 years without cognitive impairment at enrollment. Volunteers
were assessed yearly by clinical examination, MRI scans, and cognitive
tests. Blood was collected at baseline for measurement of plasma
vitamin B12, transcobalamin (TC), holotranscobalamin (holoTC),
methylmalonic acid (MMA), total homocysteine (tHcy), and serum
folate.

Results: The decrease in brain volume was greater among those with
lower vitamin B12 and holoTC levels and higher plasma tHcy and MMA
levels at baseline. Linear regression analysis showed that
associations with vitamin B12 and holoTC remained significant after
adjustment for age, sex, creatinine, education, initial brain volume,
cognitive test scores, systolic blood pressure, ApoE 4 status, tHcy,
and folate. Using the upper (for the vitamins) or lower tertile (for
the metabolites) as reference in logistic regression analysis and
adjusting for the above covariates, vitamin B12 in the bottom tertile
(<308 pmol/L) was associated with increased rate of brain volume loss
(odds ratio 6.17, 95% CI 1.25–30.47). The association was similar for
low levels of holoTC (<54 pmol/L) (odds ratio 5.99, 95% CI 1.21–29.81)
and for low TC saturation. High levels of MMA or tHcy or low levels of
folate were not associated with brain volume loss.

Conclusion: Low vitamin B12 status should be further investigated as a
modifiable cause of brain atrophy and of likely subsequent cognitive
impairment in the elderly.

(2) http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_atrophy/cerebral_atrophy.htm
NINDS Cerebral Atrophy Information Page

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