Vitamins can cut brain shrinkage

VITAMINS and fish oil fatty acids can help prevent the brain shrinkage in older age linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a study has found.

Conversely, unhealthy trans-fats found in some convenience foods and margarine spreads were likely to promote brain shrinking.

Scientists studied 104 individuals with an average age of 87 and few risk factors for memory and thinking problems.

Tests were carried out to determine the levels of various nutrients in participants’ blood samples.

All the volunteers also underwent tests of their memory and thinking skills.

In addition, 42 had MRI scans to measure their brain volume. The study found that people with diets high in omega 3 fatty acids and levels of C, D, E and B vitamins were less likely to experience brain shrinkage.

They also had higher mental performance scores than those with diets low in those nutrients.

Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D are primarily found in fish, while B vitamins and vitamins C and E can be obtained from meat, fruits and vegetables.

In total, 7% of the study participants were deficient in vitamin B12 and 25% were deficient in vitamin D.

The findings were published online in the journal Neurology.

Study author Dr Gene Bowman, from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, US, said: “These results need to be confirmed, but obviously it is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet.”

Nutrient biomarkers in the blood accounted for 37% of the variation seen in brain volume and 17% in test scores, said Dr Bowman.

Other factors, such as age, number of years of education, and high blood pressure, accounted for 46% of test score variation.

Previous studies have only looked at one or a few nutrients at a time, or have used questionnaires to assess people’s diets. Self-reporting is unreliable as it depends on people’s memory, according to Dr Bowman.