Cognitive and Memory Preservation

B Smarter

Citicoline is a form of B vitamin, a group of nutrients that has exhibited some importance in brain health, relative to cognition and memory. Vitamin B9, or folic acid, has been indicated as a key nutrient in risk of both stroke and neural tube birth defects, so it is little surprise this vitamin delivers cognitive and memory benefits as well. In fact, folic acid deficiency in mice led to neurodegeneration and brain dysfunction.⁵¹

In a 2008 study report, outpatients with probable Alzheimer's disease were treated concurrently with cholinesterase inhibitors plus either folic acid or a placebo.⁵² Researchers discovered the response to cholinesterase (promotes healthy neuronal function) in patients with AD may be improved by the use of folic acid.

Low folate and raised homocysteine have been correlated to cognitive impairment in both the general population and in people with brain-related disease, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and even multiple sclerosis.

A 2007 trial published in The Lancet concluded folic acid supplementation for three years in a cross-section of the general population in the Netherlands significantly improved aspects of cognitive function that decline with age.⁵³ The folic acid treatment group had improved memory, information processing speed and sensorimotor speed, compared to the placebo group.

Italian researchers studying elderly people in Northern Italy found subclinical folate deficiency may be a risk factor for the cognitive decline that is associated with aging and possibly contributes to Alzheimer’s as well as other dementia developments.⁵⁴

A 2008 review confirmed folate's role in improving cognitive function in Alzheimer's, noting folic acid enhances plasma concentrations of DHA and fellow omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are both beneficial in dementia and Alzheimer's disease.⁵⁵ Undurti Das, M.D., explained the two omega-3s up-regulate gene expression related to neurogenesis, neurotransmission and connectivity; improve endothelial nitric oxide (eNO) generation; enhance brain acetylcholine levels; and suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Folate isn't the end all and B-all when it comes to cognitive function. A Swedish population-based study of patients at various stages of Alzheimer's disease showed vitamin B12 and folate were more crucial to cognitive performance in pre-clinical patients compared to full-blown Alzheimer's patients.⁵⁶

In patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's and normal levels of both folate and vitamin B12, Taiwanese researchers found intervention with a multivitamin containing vitamin B6, B12 and folate led to decreased homocysteine, concentrations but no statistically significant difference in cognitive function.⁵⁷

However, researchers from India reported abnormal mental test scores among subjects with vitamin B12 deficiency neurological syndromes were improved with vitamin B12 supplementation.⁵⁸

A 2008 trial report out of University of Oxford, England, concluded low B12 status among elderly subjects is a modifiable cause of brain atrophy and cognitive impairment.⁵⁹ One of the study's authors, David Smith, Ph.D., published a 2008 review of B vitamins, homocysteine and dementia. Citing an estimated 4.6 million new cases of dementia worldwide each year, he noted 77 cross-sectional studies on more than 34,000 subjects have shown associations between cognitive decline/dementia and homocysteine and B vitamins.⁶⁰

Market Outlook

Adding to the figures on dementia, five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, a figure that threatens to balloon to 16 million by mid-century. According to the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), 44 percent of the adult American population report losing brain/mental capacity is among their biggest fears, with Boomers and the elderly the most fearful.

Fortunately, many consumers see diet and lifestyle improvements as ways to allay such fears, as NMI found nearly two-thirds of American adults maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to have a healthy mind. Interestingly, they count increased stress and lack of sleep/energy as the major causes of mental deficiency. While many invest faith and hope in medical advancements relative to dementia, Alzheimer's and the other cognitive impairments of aging, there are numerous natural nutrients, herbs and specialty ingredients churning out positive research outcomes on cognitive function and memory preservation.

References on the next page...