ABSTRACT
Background: The status of vitamin B12 and folate has been implicated in the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease.Methods: The study explored this issue through a retrospective case-control study design, with follow up of the case group for 18 months. The case group (n = 136) comprised patients 65 years or older diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and having a Mini-mental State Examination score (MMSE) of ≤ 27. The control group comprised healthy adults 65 years or older (n = 338) with a MMSE score of >27.Results: Vitamin B12 and folate levels were not found to differ between case and control groups. B12 and folate status at baseline was not predictive of disease progression in the case group.Discussion: This lack of association differs from other studies which have shown a protective effect of vitamin B12 and folate on cognitive decline.KEY POINTSThe findings of this study do not confirm evidence suggesting an effect of vitamin B12 and folate levels on development and progression of Alzheimer's disease.Folate and B12 levels were similar in the Alzheimer's group to those of healthy controls.Folate and B12 levels at initial assessment were not predictive of disease progression.
Subject(s)
Aging/blood , Alzheimer Disease/blood , Disease Progression , Folic Acid/blood , Vitamin B 12/blood , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology , Case-Control Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Retrospective StudiesSubject(s)
Acetylcholinesterase/analysis , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Clinical Enzyme Tests/methods , Saliva/enzymology , Acetylcholinesterase/metabolism , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Biomarkers/analysis , Biomarkers/metabolism , Dementia, Vascular/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Pilot ProjectsABSTRACT
This pilot study of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (ethyl-EPA) in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease aimed to estimate the magnitude of any change in measures of cognition during a 12-week treatment period. A simple linear design was used in which each patient had a baseline period of 12 weeks without treatment, followed by 12 weeks' treatment with ethyl-EPA. Blood samples were taken both before and after the treatment period to measure erythrocyte membrane fatty acids. Assessments comprised cognitive measures and visual analogue ratings of overall assessment of functioning. There was little difference between treatment and baseline periods in the rate of decline of efficacy measures, except for a small improvement in carer's visual analogue rating (P=0.02). It was concluded that it is unlikely there were any clinically important treatment effects of ethyl-EPA on cognition during the 12-week treatment period. A longer treatment period may be necessary to demonstrate efficacy of ethyl-EPA in this disorder.
