B vitamins have been shown in a variety of studies to be important for the brain, low levels have been linked to poor memory, depression, cognition (memory function) and Alzheimers’s disease – for my previous articles please read here     In older individuals, especially those who are suffering from cognitive (brain function) decline, there is often an increased rate of brain wastage/shrinking (atrophy). Previous studies have found that homocysteine is a risk factor for brain atrophy, cognitive impairment and dementia. It is also known that blood plasma concentrations of homocysteine can be lowered by dietary administration of B vitamins.     Homocysteine is produced when the amino acid (the building blocks of protein) methionine is broken down in the body. Normal levels of homocysteine are important to help build and maintain body tissues, however elevated concentrations in the blood can be harmful and have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease and other disorders. At normal levels homocystein can be converted in the body into a harmless substance called cystanthionine. The conversion of homocysteine into this harmless substance depends upon various B vitamins (B6, B12 and folic acid). Having good levels of these B vitamins appears to be a very good way of preventing high homocysteine levels and low levels of B vitamins have been associated with raised homocysteine levels. The evidence, however is still controversial.     A newly published study (1) has found that low vitamin B12 levels may lead to brain shrinkage (reduced brain….

A healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables (plant foods) has been previously linked to the prevention of many chronic diseases from heart disease to cancer and Alzheimer’s.  A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (1) has found that “In the elderly, a diet rich in plant foods is associated with better performance in several cognitive abilities”.   The study aimed to examine the relationship between intakes of different plant foods and cognitive (mental function) performance in elderly individuals.  Over 2000 elderly people aged between 70 and 74 years old were involved.  The individuals completed a number of cognitive tests (including Kendrick Object Learning Test, Trail Making Test – part A, modified versions of the Digit Symbol Test, Block Design, Mini-Mental State Examination and Controlled Oral Word Association Test) and were also asked to complete a detailed food frequency questionnaire to asses their dietary habits.   Those individuals who had the highest intakes of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms and grain products performed significantly better in the cognitive tests when compared to those individuals with very low intakes or no intakes (1).   The associations were strongest between cognitive function and combined intakes of fruits and vegetables – the association was also ‘dose dependent’ i.e. the more fruit and vegetables consumed the higher the scores in cognitive function.  This dose-dependent relationship held true up to about 500g of fruit and vegetables per day, after that a plateau was reached where further intakes did not significantly increase cognitive function scores.  The dose-related….