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B vitamins and aging -

The B vitamins promotes healthy skin, nerves, heart and muscles. Let us get to know more about the B vitamin family. It also promotes a healthy skin, eyes, and hair. In addition to these benefits, vitamin B1 is essential in preventing beriberi, a condition affecting the cardiovascular, nervous and digestive systems.

Vitamin B2 or riboflavin is needed in the body due to its multiple benefits: first, it has shown to be a natural remedy to headaches and migraine.

Second, it helps prevent eye disorders such as cataract, keratoconus and glaucoma, which is the leading cause of eyesight loss or blindness. With age, our body produces less red blood cells which could lead to anemia.

Good thing another benefit of riboflavin is its ability to help prevent anemia since it aids in the transportation of oxygen to the cells as well as in the mobilizing of iron. Finally, it acts as a great anti-aging agent. It provides antioxidant properties and maintains collagen levels, which is needed to maintain a healthy skin and hair.

Naturally, it slows down signs of aging! Vitamin B3, also known as nicotinic acid or niacin, plays an important role in controlling high blood cholesterol levels. It lowers blood cholesterol by increasing good cholesterol levels and decreasing bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

In addition, pyridoxine plays a role in mood regulation. Studies show that older adults are at high risk for vitamin B6 deficiency, thus increasing their likelihood of depression. It works by decreasing the high blood levels of amino acid homocysteine, which is normally connected to depression and other psychiatric conditions.

Vitamin B6 also helps in the formation of red blood cells, so it aids in keeping the immune system strong. Many of the elderly can develop serious deficiencies in vitamin B12, also called as cyanocobalamin or cobalamin. This is because as people get older, the ability to absorb this vitamin decreases because of impaired production of acid and stomach enzymes — both are needed to process vitamin B Now, how crucial is vitamin B12 to our body?

Cobalamin helps build blood cells, synthesize DNA, and maintain healthy nerve cells in our body. With the proper amount of vitamin B12 intake, our homocysteine levels will be regulated and will help decrease the risk of memory loss, as well as the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Vitamin B12 is also essential because it regulates a chemical linked to depression. Each of these B vitamins indeed play important roles in keeping our body healthy as we age. They work even better together — taking a B-complex supplement will be more helpful and convenient. See, aging does not really have to be complex with vitamin B-complex!

Vitamin B complex supplements help relieve stress, boost mental performance, maintain healthy nerve function and help alleviate signs of anxiety and depression. With proper diet and healthy lifestyle, we can age gracefully. Age and Ageing Fenech M. Folate, Vitamin B12, homocysteine status and DNA damage in young Australian adults.

Carcinogenesis Fioravanti M. Low folate levels in the cognitive decline of elderly patients and the efficacy of folate as a treatment for improving memory deficits. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 1 Folstein M. Mini Mental State. Journal of Psychiatric Research Fontanari D.

Effects of S-Adenosyl-l-methionine on cognitive and vigilance functions in the elderly. Current Therapeutic Research Fuld P. The Fuld Object Memory Evaluation Stoelting Instrument, Wood Dole, IL.

Godfrey P. Enhancement of recovery from psychiatric illness by methylfolate. Lancet Goodglass H. The assessment of aphasia and related disorders 2nd ed.

Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia. Goodwin J. Association between nutritional status and cognitive functioning in a healthy elderly population. Journal of the American Medical Association Hankey G.

Homocysteine and vascular disease. Hassing L. Further evidence on the effects of Vitamin B12 and folate levels on episodic memory functioning: A population-based study on healthy very old adults.

Homocysteine Lowering Trialist's Collaboration Lowering blood homocysteine with folic acid based supplements: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. British Medical Journal Horn J. The theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence in relation to concepts of cognitive psychology and aging in adulthood.

Craik F. Aging and cognitive processes Plenum Press, New York. Ikeda T. Vitamin B 12 levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of people with Alzheimer's disease. Acta Psychiatric Scandanavia Joosten E.

Metabolic evidence that deficiencies of Vitamin B cobalamin , folate and Vitamin B-6 occur commonly in elderly people. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Karnaze D. Low serum cobalamin levels in primary degenerative dementia.

Archives of International Medicine La Rue A. Nutritional status and cognitive functioning in a normally aging sample: A 6-year reassessment. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 20 Levitt A. Folate, Vitamin B 12 and cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Acta Psychiatrica Scandanavia Lindeman R. Serum Vitamin B12, C and folate concentrations in the New Mexico Elder Health Survey: Correlations with cognitive and affective functions. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 68 Martin D.

Time dependency of cognitive recovery with cobalamin replacement: Report of a pilot study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Mattis S. Mental status examination for organic mental syndrome in the elderly patient.

Bellak S. Geriatric psychiatry 77 Grune and Straton, New York. Mazza G. Functional foods: Biochemical and processing aspects Technomic, Lancaster, PA.

McCaddon A. Total serum homocysteine in senile dementia of Alzheimer type. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Mischoulon D.

The role of folate in major depression: Mechanisms and clinical implications. American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology Progress Notes 7: 2 4 Nilsson K. Plasma homocysteine in relation to serum cobalamin and blood folate in a psychogeriatric population.

European Journal of Clinical Investigation Nourhashémi F. Alzheimer's disease: Protective factors. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Suppl. Ortega R.

Functional and psychic deterioration in elderly people may be aggravated by folate deficiency. Journal of Nutrition Dietary intake and cognitive function in a group of elderly people. Pancharuniti N.

Plasma homocysteine, folate, and Vitamin B concentrations and risk for early-onset coronary artery disease. Parnetti L. Role of homocysteine in age-related vascular and non-vascular diseases. Aging Clinical Experimental Research 9: Pary R.

Dementia: What to do. Southern Medical Journal Passeri M. Aging 5: 63 Pfeiffer E. A short portable mental status questionnaire for the assessment of organic brain deficit in elderly patients.

Piccini C. Treatable and reversible dementias: An update. Journal of Neurological Sciences Randt C. T, Brown E. Randt Memory Test: Administration manual Life Science, Bayport, NY. Reitan R. Clinical neuropsychology: Current status and applications Wiley, New York.

Reynolds E. Methylation and mood. Lancet 2: Folic acid, S-adenosylmethionine and affective disorder. Psychological Medicine Riedel W. Nutrients, age and cognitive function.

Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care 1: Riggs K. Relations of Vitamin B, folate, and homocysteine to cognitive performance in the Normative Aging Study. Rosenberg I. Nutritional factors in physical and cognitive functions of elderly people. Rubenstein L. Assessment instruments.

Abrams W. The Merck manual of geriatrics Russel E. A multiple scoring method of assessment of complex memory function. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology Salthouse T. The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition.

Psychological Review Sauberlich H. Relationship of Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B, and folate to neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Bendich A. Micronutrients in health and in disease prevention Selhub J.

B vitamins, homocysteine, and neurocognitive function in the elderly. Association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and extracranial carotid-artery stenosis. The New England Journal of Medicine Vitamin status and intake as primary determinants of homocysteinemia in an elderly population.

Sneath P. Folate status in a geriatric population and its relation to dementia. Age and Ageing 2: Snowdon D. Serum folate and the severity of atrophy of the neocortex in Alzheimer disease: Findings from the Nun Study. Sommer B. RBC folic acid levels and cognitive performance in elderly patients: a preliminary report.

Stabler S. Vitamin B deficiency in the elderly: Current dilemmas. Teunisse A. Dementia and subnormal levels of Vitamin B Effects of replacement therapy on dementia. Journal of Neurology Tolonen M. Vitamin B6 status of Finnish elderly. Comparison with Dutch younger adults and elderly.

The effect of supplementation. International Journal of Vitamin Nutrition Research 73 Ubbink J. Vitamin B, Vitamin B-6 and folate nutritional status in men with hyperhomocysteinemia. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 47 Ueland P.

Plasma homocysteine, a risk factor for vascular disease: Plasma levels in health, disease, and drug therapy. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine Venn R.

The Sandoz Clinical Assessment Geriatric Scale: A general purpose psychogeriatric rating scale. Gerontology Wahlin A. Effects of serum vitamin B12 and folate status on episodic memory performance in very old age: A population based study. Wechsler D. Wechsler Memory Scale manual The Psychological Corp, San Antonio TX.

WAIS-R manual The Psychological Corp, New York. Weir D. Microvascular disease and dementia in the elderly: Are they related to hyperhomocysteinemia?. American College of Clinical Nutrition Young S. The use of diet and dietary components in the study of factors controlling affect in humans: A review.

Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Folic acid and psychopathology. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.

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Advanced Search. Search Menu. Article Navigation. Close mobile search navigation Article Navigation. Volume Article Contents Abstract. B Vitamins and Brain Function. General Summary. Journal Article. B Vitamins, Cognition, and Aging: A Review.

Eva Calvaresi , Eva Calvaresi. Janet Bryan, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Division of Health Sciences and Nutrition, P. Box , Adelaide BC, South Australia, E-mail: janet. bryan dhn. Oxford Academic. Google Scholar. Janet Bryan. PDF Split View Views. Select Format Select format.

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Abstract Recent research has highlighted the potential impact of nutritional factors and individual micronutrients on the brain and on cognitive performance, especially in older adults.

Table 1. Study Year No. of participants Age of participants Nature of participants Nutrient measures Cognitive measures Results Cross-sectional Studies Multiple nutrients and cognitive performance Goodwin and colleagues 60—90 years Healthy, community dwelling Dietary intake weighed food records , plasma levels Memory, nonverbal abstract thinking, problem solving Significant threshold effects for association between low intake and plasma folate and poor cognitive performance.

Ortega and colleagues 65—90 years Healthy, community dwelling Dietary intake weighed food records MMSE, PMSQ Folate intake significantly higher in those with better MMSE and PMSQ scores.

Folate and B12 and cognitive performance Bell and colleagues 60— years Psychiatric inpatients Serum levels MMSE Significantly lower scores on MMSE for participants with below median values for folate and B Wahlin and colleagues 75—96 years Healthy, community dwelling Serum levels Episodic memory free recall and recognition and MMSE Significant threshold effects for positive association between low levels of folate or both low folate and B12 and MMSE and episodic memory.

Hassing and colleagues 71 90— years Healthy, community dwelling Serum levels Episodic memory free recall and recognition Significant threshold effects for association between low levels of folate and episodic memory.

Folate, B12, B6, homocysteine and cognitive performance Riggs and colleagues 70 males 54—81 years Healthy, community dwelling Plasma levels Language, perceptual speed and attention, memory, spatial copying and reasoning Homocysteine negatively associated with plasma folate and B Significant correlation between high plasma homocysteine, low plasma folate, B12 and B6 and cognitive performance.

Unique contribution of homocysteine to cognitive performance. Longitudinal Studies Multiple nutrients and cognitive performance La Rue and colleagues 66—90 years Healthy, community dwelling Dietary intake food and supplement records , plasma and erythrocyte levels Abstract reasoning, verbal and nonverbal memory, visuospatial skills Plasma, erythorocyte and dietary intake of folate significantly correlated with one test of cognition and significant correlation between past intake of B12 and B6 and cognitive status.

Experimental Studies Supplementation and cognitive performance Dror and colleagues 12 65—87 years Residential dwelling Dietary intake food records and plasma levels Folate, B12, B6 MMSE Supplementation with folate, B12, and B6 had no effect on MMSE but positive effect on GDS scores.

Tolonen and colleagues 44 66—96 years Residential and community dwelling Plasma, erythrocyte, and serum levels B6 Memory, digit span, learning, attention, visual reproduction Significant positive effects of B6 supplementation on visual reproduction.

Deijen and colleagues 76 70—79 years Community dwelling Plasma levels B6 Memory, attention, perceptual motor skill Significant positive effects of B6 supplementation on long-term memory. Fioravanti and colleagues 30 70—90 years Residential and community dwelling Serum levels Folate Memory Significant positive effects of folate supplementation on attention and memory.

Open in new tab. Table 2. Summary of Studies Examining B Vitamins and Dementia. Author No. of participants Age of participants Nature of participants Study design Findings B12 and Dementia Karnaze and Carmel 28 Ikeda and colleagues, 12 64 ±12 Hospital inpatients Cross-sectional Significantly lower levels of B12 in those with AD compared to those with other dementias in CSF but not in serum concentrations.

Crystal and colleagues, 75—85 Community dwelling Longitudinal and prospective Low B12 levels common in older adults but not a risk factor or marker for dementing illness.

Folate and Dementia Sneath and colleagues, not reported Geriatric inpatients Cross-sectional Red blood cell folate levels significantly lower in patients diagnosed with dementia than those with other disorders. Sommer and Wolkowitz 13 51—93 Hospital inpatients Cross-sectional All patients had normal red blood cell folic acid but those with lower levels performed significantly more poorly on MMSE than those with higher levels.

Snowdon and colleagues, 30 78— Convent dwelling nuns Longitudinal Significant negative correlation between serum folate and the severity of atrophy of the neocortex among those with a significant number of AD lesions in the neocortex.

Homocysteine and Dementia Nilsson and colleagues, McCaddon and colleagues, 30 70—84 Psychogeriatric inpatients Prospective and case-controlled Significant elevation of total serum homocysteine in those with AD compared to control group.

Nutritional Status and Dementia Levitt and Karlinsky 97 Martin and colleagues, 18 Teunisse and colleagues, 82 Figure 1. Open in new tab Download slide. Issue Section:. Download all slides. Views 10, More metrics information. Total Views 10, Email alerts Article activity alert.

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This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only Sign In or Create an Account. Significant threshold effects for association between low intake and plasma folate and poor cognitive performance.

Significantly lower scores on MMSE for participants with below median values for folate and B Significant threshold effects for positive association between low levels of folate or both low folate and B12 and MMSE and episodic memory. MMSE, digit span forwards, learning, secondary memory, visuoconstruction psychomotor speed and cognitive flexibility.

No significant relationship between low serum B12 and cognitive performance, but low serum folate concentrations associated with poorer function in cognitive performance on learning, memory and psychomotor speed.

Homocysteine negatively associated with plasma folate and B Plasma, erythorocyte and dietary intake of folate significantly correlated with one test of cognition and significant correlation between past intake of B12 and B6 and cognitive status.

Significant threshold effects for association between low serum folate and cognitive loss, dementia, depression institutionalization and mortality, low scores on global cognitive function and short-term memory.

Supplementation with folate, B12, and B6 had no effect on MMSE but positive effect on GDS scores. Karnaze and Carmel Significantly higher incidence of low serum cobalamin levels in those with primary dementia than those with secondary dementia.

Significantly lower levels of B12 in those with AD compared to those with other dementias in CSF but not in serum concentrations. Red blood cell folate levels significantly lower in patients diagnosed with dementia than those with other disorders.

Sommer and Wolkowitz

BMC Geriatrics volume 21 aginng, Article number: Cite vitamis article. Metrics details. Vitamin B supplements can lower the serum homocysteine Muscle recovery for rock climbers B vitamins and aging, but whether it can prevent cognitive decline B vitamins and aging not remains ahd. We B vitamins and aging to evaluate the preventive efficacy of vitamin B supplements on the cognitive decline of elderly adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRALWeb of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, PsycINFO from inception to December 1,and then updated the retrieved results on June 1, The randomized controlled trials RCTs which evaluated the efficacy of vitamin B in mild cognitive impairment MCI patients or elderly adults without cognitive impairment were selected. The reason why B vitamins and aging people age Alternate day fasting Digital blood glucose monitor Alternate day fasting anc been vitzmins focus of znd recent research. One condition qging which age is a B vitamins and aging factor is dementia. Sging one-third of people who are over the age of 85 have some form of dementia. As humans are living longer, the number of people with dementia in the population is also growing, and the World Health Organisation reports there are currently more than 55 million people living with dementia worldwide, and nearly 10 million new cases every year. Despite this high prevalence, the mechanisms and risk factors underlying dementia are poorly understood.

B vitamins and aging -

B vitamins—B-6, B and folate—all nourish the brain. But much remains to be discovered about the relation between these essential nutrients and our brainpower. Department of Agriculture USDA nutritionist Lindsay H.

Allen has collaborated in ongoing research that has taken a closer look at the role these nutrients may play in preventing decline in brain function. The investigations, led by Mary N. Haan of the University of California-San Francisco, are part of the multiyear Sacramento Calif.

Area Latino Study on Aging, or "SALSA. According to Allen, the research is needed because many studies of B vitamins and brain function have given inconsistent or conflicting results.

Allen is director of the Agricultural Research Service ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, Calif. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA. Scientists from the University of California-Davis UCD and the UCD Medical Center also are collaborating in the research.

An analysis of volunteers' blood samples showed that lower levels of one B vitamin, folate, were associated with symptoms of dementia and poor brain function, also called "cognitive decline," as determined by standard tests of memory and other factors. The impairments were detectable even though less than 1 percent of the volunteers were actually deficient in folate.

In women, but not men, low levels of folate were associated with symptoms of depression. In fact, female volunteers whose plasma folate levels were in the lowest third were more than twice as likely to have symptoms of depression as volunteers in the highest third. That finding provided new evidence of an association between lower blood folate and depression.

Depression is already known to affect brain function. Since then, our knowledge of biochemical pathways has significantly expanded.

It turns out we oversimplified B vitamins. The methylation cycle circled in red in the diagram below is connected to thousands of other reactions. However, even this newer model is oversimplified; it omits crucial connections.

Recently, it was discovered that DNA is connected to the methylation cycle. DNA gets methylated; and when this happens, genes get turned off see diagram below. In the last decade, an entire field of biology has sprung into existence studying this phenomenon.

It is called epigenetics. Genes appear to have a controller of their own, the epi-genome. So, what happens to our DNA when we give people B vitamins? B vitamins increase methylation in the entire cell; therefore, it is logical to conclude they will increase methylation in DNA, and turn off genes.

This is indeed what happens, and confirmed in genetic studies. Specifically, B vitamins turn off a group of tumor suppressor genes DIRAS3 , ARMC8 , and NODAL. When tumor suppressor genes are turned off, it can lead to cancer. This can finally explain the increased cancer seen in the large clinical trials of B vitamins.

Unfortunately, further predictions from this new model get worse. DNA methylation is not only a risk for cancer, it is also directly correlated with biological age. The older you are, the sicker you are, the harder you live, the more your DNA is methylated.

Like telomeres, DNA methylation is a new way of measuring your biological age - an epigenetic clock. Some gerontologists speculate that DNA methylation is so important, it is not only a marker of age, but the cause of aging itself. If this were true, B vitamin supplementation could actually accelerate aging.

It would also explain the surprising increase in all-cause mortality seen in some some trials. We are certainly witnessing a paradigm shift with respect to our understanding of B vitamins. In forty years we went from a reductionist model that predicts better health and less cancer because B vitamins provide essential molecules and repair DNA, to a model that predicts worse health and more cancer because B vitamins methylate DNA and turn off tumor suppressor genes.

This should illustrate the point that one can never truly rely on reductionist models; they can change quickly, and are only as good as the part of the body they choose to highlight. Like reductionist models, observational studies also predicted that more vitamins would be good.

They were also flawed, but suffer from a different problem. They are unable to distinguish association from causation. Observational studies compare two groups of people; an exposed group and a non-exposed group. However, the exposed group is almost always different from the non-exposed group.

It is these differences that account for the observed disease, not the exposure. This is called confounding. For example, folate B9 is found in green leafy vegetables and expensive supplements. A group of people with high folate levels are different than a group of people with low folate levels.

They are more likely to eat green leafy vegetables and consume expensive supplements. It also follows that they are more likely to take better care of themselves, get regular check-ups, eat healthier foods, avoid smoking, exercise more, have a higher income, etc.

So when this group is observed to have better health outcomes, it is not necessarily because of the folate levels.

It is because of the salubrious traits that lead to high folate levels. Clinical trials are designed to solve both the problems encountered with reductionist models, and the problems encountered with observational studies. Reductionist models, as explained above, can only test a treatment on a part of the body like a chemical pathway or a cell in a test tube.

Outcomes are measured by how the treatment affects that part, and that part alone. If the wrong part is chosen or the system is oversimplified, it will lead to erronious conclusions.

Conversely, clinical trials test the entire body. The entire body gets the treatment, and the entire body is measured for real outcomes; like death, or a heart attack. Thus, clinical trials are methodologically "holistic". The irony here is that doctors who refer to themselves as "holistic", rely heavily on reductionist models, and almost never back their claims with clinical trials.

The problems of observational studies, on the other hand, are solved by addressing their main issue, confounding. The root cause of confounding is that the exposed group is different from the non-exposed group.

Clinical trials correct this at the beginning of every trial during the process of randomization. Two equal groups are created and the only difference between the groups is that one will get the treatment or exposure , and the other will not.

Clinical trials are our best tool in medicine to test treatments. They are the strongest kind of evidence. The one test to rule them all. This is why many in our field rank them along with germ theory, antibiotics, imaging, vaccines, anesthesia, and sanitation, as the most important advances in medical science.

In reality, most treatments you will encounter are based on weak kinds of evidence, like reductionist models and observational studies.

Are you getting more vitamkns these days? Do agin fingertips sometimes B vitamins and aging numb? How aginv the sudden tingling in your muscles? Do B vitamins and aging suddenly get irritated over trivial matters? These may be signs of vitamin B deficiency. As we age, we become more susceptible to several health risks including memory lapse, nerve glitch, stroke and anemia. Many of us think that maintaining a balanced diet and active lifestyle are enough for us to avoid health problems.