Two new ways to stop Alzheimer’s and brain shrinkage....

Today's Post:  Wednesday, 5-22-2013

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Two new ways to stop Alzheimer’s and brain shrinkage....

FIVE Things now known to help avoid brain shrinkage include:

The two newly discovered to work methods:

1.  A new study shows that taking B6 B12 & Folic acid also helps prevent brain shrinkage by lowering homocysteine AND does so the most on the parts of the brain in which damage and shrinkage causes mental decline and dementia!

2.  Avoiding tobacco smoke prevents brain shrinkage this study proves! 

That’s because tobacco smoke if NOT avoided increases homocysteine which may not be a direct cause of heart disease but an indicator only; but homocysteine this new study shows IS a cause of brain shrinkage!

The 3 we already knew worked:

1.  Getting regular exercise even regular walking but even better effective strength training AND burst style interval or variable cardio every week boosts BDNF, the growth factor that adds or regrows nerves and brain cells.

2.  Intermittent fasting has been shown to also boost BDNF!  (I just learned this one a few days ago myself!)

3.  Taking DHA supplements and eating wild caught fish high in omega 3 oils also helps prevent brain shrinkage.

The article appeared as a feature on Yahoo today.  (I’ve added some paragraphing to make it easier to read.)

Here’s my summary of the most important points:

In people with more than moderate levels of homocysteine, daily taking 800 mg of folic acid; and up to a total of 100 mg of vitamin B6 as more B6 than 100 mg a day causes nerve damage in another way—I take 85 mg; and one or two sublingual vitamin B12 tablets of 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12, slashes the risk of brain shrinkage in the most important areas to prevent mental decline and dementia and memory and cognitive problems.

Note that they found that doing so cut the brain shrinkage in HALF in people with memory problems!

And:  “. Vitamin B supplements slowed the shrinkage in these areas by nearly 9-fold over the two-year study period.”  The areas spoken of here are the ones critical to keep for good memory function!

Second key note:

a) Many middle aged and older people now take proton pump inhibitors or Metformin for blood sugar problems.  Each of these depletes vitamin B12 despite the desirable main effects they have.  That plus this research suggests it is critical for people taking either drug to take the 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 in the sublingual form.  This study suggests depleting B12 could cause brain shrinkage. 

And if the depletion is in the digestive tract, absorbing the B12 directly into the blood stream from their mouth will simply bypass the problem.

b) And many elderly people both get too little B12 in their food and no longer digest it well.

So they too should take 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 in the sublingual form.  That way not digesting B12 well in the digestive tract, by absorbing the B12 directly into the blood stream from their mouth will simply bypass the problem.

“Vitamin B may protect against Alzheimer’s, say researchers 

Science Recorder | James Fluere | Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The 2010 clinical trial examined the effect of high doses of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 on brain shrinkage in 168 participants with memory problems

Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered the vitamin B may protect against Alzheimer’s.

They found that B vitamins could halve brain shrinkage in older people with memory problems.

The new discovery takes a second look at data from a 2010 clinical trial, linking vitamin B to slower rates of shrinkage in areas of the brain impacted in Alzheimer’s disease in individuals with high levels of homocysteine.

The 2010 clinical trial examined the effect of high doses of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 on brain shrinkage in 168 participants with memory problems.

The study revealed that rates of total brain shrinkage were slower in those taking vitamin B, although this was most noticeable in individuals with high levels of the amino acid homocysteine in their blood.

Earlier research has linked high levels of homocysteine to cognitive impairment and a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. These levels climb with age, and the consumption of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 can help lower these levels in the blood.

The researchers decided to take a second look at scans from the study participants. Instead of focusing on total brain shrinkage, they now examined shrinkage in different areas of the brain.

Seventy-seven of the study participants had homocysteine levels higher than 11.06µmol/L. Compared to participants with lower levels, these participants had a quicker rate of shrinkage in the areas of the brain known to be impacted in Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin B supplements slowed the shrinkage in these areas by nearly 9-fold over the two-year study period. Vitamin B supplements, on the other hand, had no impact on participants with lower levels of homocysteine.”