Study suggests THIS one vitamin could protect against Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that neutralizes brain cells, impairs brain functions and impacts memory. It is the most common cause of dementia, a condition associated with diminished thinking abilities and decline in behavioral and social skills. Approximately 44 million people are estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s disease or an associated form of dementia worldwide. As per reports from the National Institute on Aging, the widespread presence of Alzheimer's doubles every five years beyond the age of 65.

Read also: Early signs of dementia can appear 18 years before diagnosis, as per study

Most diseases have certain lifestyle or genetic risk factors. Alzheimer's is no different. Although, it is a non-preventable disease, the cause of which is not particularly known, age, sex, poor lifestyle habits, an injury to the brain or even genes can play a significant role in triggering the condition.

Read also: 5 tweaks to make in your diet to cut down the risk of dementia

That said, while there is no way a person can predict the onset of the disease, studies have suggested that exercising regularly, eating freshly produced foods, looking out for other chronic illnesses and participating in social activities can modify the risk factors.

While there is no treatment for Alzheimer's, scientists and medical professionals are tirelessly working towards finding a preventive solution.

Having said that, a study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Delaware recently found that Vitamin B12 could impact the progression of Alzheimer’s and protect the brain against it.

Scientifically, patients with the condition are said to have a protein in their brain known as amyloid beta, that appears to have a toxic effect on neurons, disrupting cell-to-cell communication.

Researchers used C. elegans, tiny soil-dwelling worms for the study. It is believed that an accretion of amyloid beta in these tiny worms causes paralysis within 36 hours of them reaching adulthood, an effect that was observed as they discontinued their wiggling.

However, when fed with E. coli bacteria that contains high levels of vitamin B12, it was found that the worms were protected against the paralysis.

According to Professor Jessica Tanis, the lead researcher of the study, "The read-out is black or white – the worms are either moving or they are not.

"When we gave vitamin B12 to the worms that were vitamin B12 deficient, paralysis occurred much more slowly, which immediately told us that B12 was beneficial.

"The worms with B12 also had higher energy levels and lower oxidative stress in their cells," she adds.

Additionally, the study also found that the trick worked only if the worms were deficient in the vitamin in the first place.

Currently, there is no particular treatment for Alzheimer's and as per Professor Tanis, ""There are certain factors that you cannot change – you cannot change the fact that you age, and you cannot change a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease."

However, what you can do is alter your lifestyle to suit your overall health. Although there is no concrete evidence suggesting that diet and healthy lifestyle choices can minimize the risk of developing Alzheimer's, experts believe that can modify some of the risk factors, delaying the illness, if one is prone to it at all.