Summary This study investigated the effects of the natural compound inositol in patients with Alzheimer´s disease. The symptoms associated with this disease include difficulties with memory, language, thinking, orientation, and others. 11 patients were treated with inositol or with glucose for one month. The results showed that inositol significantly improved language and orientation in Alzheimer’s…
Summary Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated or “essential” fatty acids that occur in both foods of animal origin (oily fish) and foods of plant origin (vegetable oils, seaweed, certain nuts and seeds). This study was conducted with older individuals to evaluate the relationship between levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood and brain function.…
Summary Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants (i.e. vitamin E). The present study evaluated whether oxidative stress has a role in the progression of cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. Data from 70 patients with mild…
Summary This study investigated blood levels of vitamins and carotenoids in Alzheimer’s patients. Data from patients with Alzheimer’s disease were compared with data from participants without the disease. The results showed that Alzheimer’s patients had significantly lower levels of vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene. In view of this result, the present study is a…
Summary This study evaluated the effects of vitamin B supplementation on dementia, which is a broad category of brain diseases that cause a decline in mental ability. Data from elderly people were analyzed, revealing that B-vitamin supplementation can slow the shrinking of brain regions that are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and that are associated with…
Summary This study evaluated the effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients received either vitamin B1 or an ineffective placebo for 3 months. 11 participants completed the study. The results demonstrated that vitamin B1 supplementation improved the mental function of Alzheimer’s patients, as compared to those taking a placebo. More details…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between blood levels of vitamin E and mental (cognitive) function. Blood levels of vitamin E were investigated in 168 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 166 people with mild cognitive impairment (a precursor to Alzheimer’s dementia) and 187 participants with normal mental function. It appeared that low blood levels of vitamin…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and Alzheimer´s disease. Data were collected from 318 participants. The results showed that vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were associated with Alzheimer´s disease. Further details can be found in the study. References J S Buell, B Dawson-Hughes, T M Scott, D E Weiner, G E Dallal, W Q…
Summary This study evaluated the efficacy of a commonly used medical drug (selegiline) and vitamins in treating Alzheimer´s disease. A total of 341 patients received selegiline, vitamin E, both selegiline and vitamin E or a placebo for two years. It was found that both selegiline and vitamin E were effective in slowing the progression of…
Summary This study examined the effects of the natural compound pycnogenol (pine bark extract) in healthy people. For 3 months, 101 elderly participants were given a daily dose of 150 mg of pycnogenol. At the beginning, during and end of the treatment, the participants completed different mental tasks, comprising memory tests and other measures. The…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between blood levels of vitamin C and senile dementia, which describes the impairment of cognitive function in elderly people. Vitamin C levels were measured in healthy participants and compared with the vitamin C levels of patients with senile dementia. It turned out that senile dementia patients had very low…
Summary Homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood, represents a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. This study evaluated the relationship among homocysteine, Alzheimer’s disease and levels of B vitamins in the blood. 266 participants with cognitive (mental) impairment were given either folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 or a placebo for 2 years.…
Summary This review collected scientific studies on the effects of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on brain function. A large number of studies has reported beneficial effects of dietary DHA supplementations on memory and cognition. In this publication, the authors described the important potential of DHA to preserve neuronal and brain functions. They…
Summary This study investigated the association between blood levels of vitamin E and the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease among older individuals. 232 people without dementia were followed-up to 6 years to detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The investigation revealed that high blood levels of vitamin E were associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease…
Summary This study determined the relationship between dietary intake of vitamin D and dementia. 498 women without dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias were included. The intakes of vitamin D from the diet were estimated by food questionnaires. The results showed that higher intakes of vitamin D were associated with a lower risk of developing…
Summary Homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood, is a risk factor for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a possible early stage of dementia that can involve problems with memory, language, thinking and judgment that are greater than normal age-related changes. This study evaluated whether blood levels of homocysteine can be lowered by…
Summary This study analyzed the link between familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS), a common degenerative disease of the motor neuron system, and folic acid (FA). Mutations of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD1) are involved in the development of this disease. Using a mice model, the present study demonstrated that SOD1 alteration leads to an increase…