Title: Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status Enhances the Prevention of Cognitive Decline by B Vitamins in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Abderrahim Oulhaj, Fredrik Jerneren, Helga Refsum, A. David Smith, Celeste A. de Jager
Source: IOS Press Content Library
Date: Jan. 2016
Link: http://content.iospress.com/download/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad150777?id=journal-of-alzheimers-disease%2Fjad150777
Summary: This trial studied the combined effects of B vitamins (folic acid, B6, and B12) and omega 3s (docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) on patients who had mild cognitive impairment. MCI is basically an intermediate stage between the expected levels of cognitive decline that come with aging and dementia. Over the course of two years, 266 patients with MCI over the age of seventy were either placed in a group that took B vitamins or a placebo group. Over that course of time, patients were rated on their performance on baseline cognitive tests and their clinical dementia rating. Plasma concentrations of homocysteine and omega 3's were measured.
Those in the Vitamin B group with increasing levels of omega-3s achieved increasingly better scores on the baseline cognitive tests and dementia ratings. The increasing concentrations of omega-3's in the placebo group, however, had no effect on these scores. This suggests that Vitamin Bs and omega-3s work together to achieve the effect of slowing cognitive decline. Another telling factor was that when omega-3 fatty acid concentrations were low in patients, the B vitamins had no effect of the cognitive decline of mild cognitive impairment.
Among those with "good omega-3 status", it was found that 33% of those on Vitamin B supplements had clinical dementia scores greater than zero (if you score above zero, you have progressed into the stages of dementia), compared to 59% of placebo patients. Basically, more placebo patients had progressed into the early stages of dementia. It was found that DHA alone significantly enhanced the cognitive effects of the Vitamin B. EPA was less effective.
B vitamins lowered levels of homocysteine in blood plasma. Homocysteine is a non-essential amino acid. Elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood is recognized as a risk factor for cognitive impairment, Alzheimers, and dementia. The vitamin B treatment in this trial only improved the status of patients with high baseline homocysteine concentrations, slowing the rate of both global and regional brain atrophy.
Vitamin B work with Omega-3 to help improve cognitive function.
ReplyDeletequestion: how do other vitamins affect the effect of omega-3?
Learned: B vitamins supplemented with Omega-3s were beneficial to MCI patients and stopped many of their critical dimensia levels from decreasing.
ReplyDeleteQ: What mechanism allows the DHA to increase the effects of the B vitamin?
Fact: Increasing the concentrations of omega-3s in the placebo group had no effect on the test scores of the individuals, which suggests that the B vitamins and omega-3s work together to help prevent cognitive decline
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How do B vitamins lower the levels of homocysteine in blood plasma?
Statement: Omega-3s and Vitamin B work together to slow cognitive impairment.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Is there studies that show that early supplementation of Omega-3s and Vitamin B will slow down cognitive impairment?
B Vitamins and Omega-3's helped people with cognitive decline slow the progression of their disease.
ReplyDeleteWhy were both B vitamins and Omega-3's taken? What are the isolated effects that each of these would have on cognitive decline?
Statement: Omega-3's combined with Vitamin B work together to slow cognitive decline, as opposed to only taking omega-3 supplements.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How does the vitamin B interact with omega-3's? What specifically makes it so that these two work in conjunction to slow cognitive decline?
Comment: The study provides grounds for a potential association of the combined amount of both Omega-3 fatty acids (specifically DHA) and Vitamin B's and their effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Is there any supporting research to show that these two in conjunction are more effective than separate.
There is a connection between vitamin B & omega-3s in regards to combating mild cognitive impairment based on data collected in this study.
ReplyDeleteHow big was the study? How many people in each group? Has it been further tested by other scientists?
Without B vitamins, omega-3s did not have a substantial effect on the cognitive impairment of the tested subjects.
ReplyDeleteI think we should look into B vitamins. I think I read somewhere that they also help with the oxidation of DHA.