| Elevated
homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk for dementias
such as Alzheimer's disease People with elevated blood levels of homocysteine are more likely to experience brain atrophy and vascular disease, placing them at increased risk for dementias including Alzheimer's disease, according to two articles in the May 28th issue of Neurology. "This is exciting information because homocysteine levels can be reduced by taking the vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid," said James Toole, M.D., who wrote an editorial accompanying the studies. Mild elevations of homocysteine have been reported to occur in 5 to 7 percent of the general population. Toole is leading a study examining whether taking these vitamins to lower homocysteine level can reduce the risk of stroke. "Another area that needs to be studied is whether taking vitamins to lower homocysteine levels can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and other dementia," he said. "There's a long way to go before we know the answers to these questions, but it's an exciting possibility." The current study involved 36 healthy elderly people. The participants' blood was tested for homocysteine levels. Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans were used to measure the amount of brain atrophy. Researchers found that elderly people who had greater brain atrophy (those in the top 50 percent) were twice as likely to have high homocysteine levels as those with lesser grades of atrophy, according to study author Perminder Sachdev, MD, PhD, of Australia. Sachdev said additional long-term studies
are needed to determine whether high homocysteine levels are part
of the cause of brain atrophy. |