Vitamin B12 Protects Brain

Minyanville - Market Commentary, Investing Ideas, Global Finance, The Economy: "Anna Vogiatzoglou, a member of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford, in a prepared statement on brain shrinkage said that “Research shows that Vitamin B-12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among the elderly, so more Vitamin B-12 intake could help reverse this problem.”

Vitamin B-12 deficiency can also cause anemia and troubles with the nervous system, researchers found.

Researchers at Oxford University established the link between diet and brain size by conducting memory tests, physical exams and brain scans on 107 people aged 61 to 87. The volunteers were retested five years after the initial exam and researchers found those with the lowest levels of Vitamin B-12 were more likely to have suffered brain shrinkage. The tests support earlier research that established a link between brain atrophy and low levels of Vitamin B-12.

Alcohol also hammers the brain. Researchers found that brain scans of more than 1,800 people who had 14 or more drinks a week sustained 1.6% more brain shrinkage than those who didn’t drink at all. Beer does less damage than wine.

Aging hippies who say marijuana is harmless are mistaken. Researchers found that cannabis has the same brain-damaging effect as alcohol"