Health
Dementia risk could increase with low levels of essential vitamin
“Normal” levels of vitamin B12 may not be enough to ward off dementia, new research finds.
Researchers at University of California San Francisco studied 231 healthy older adults (averaging 71 years of age) who did not have dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
Blood tests showed that their B12 levels averaged 414.8 pmol/L, while the recommended minimum level in the U.S. is just 148 pmol/L.
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Participants who had lower B12 levels were found to have “slower cognitive and visual processing speeds” when taking tests, which is linked to “subtle cognitive decline,” according to a UCSF press release.
The effect was more pronounced with age.
“Normal” levels of vitamin B12 may not be enough to ward off dementia, new research finds. (iStock)
The people with lower levels also had more lesions in the white matter in their brains, which can be a warning sign of cognitive decline, dementia or stroke, the researchers found.
The findings were published in Annals of Neurology on Feb. 10.
Based on these results, the researchers recommend updating the current B12 requirements.
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“Previous studies that defined healthy amounts of B12 may have missed subtle functional manifestations of high or low levels that can affect people without causing overt symptoms,” said senior author Ari J. Green, MD, of the UCSF Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences.
“Revisiting the definition of B12 deficiency to incorporate functional biomarkers could lead to earlier intervention and prevention of cognitive decline.”
“Revisiting the definition of B12 deficiency to incorporate functional biomarkers could lead to earlier intervention and prevention of cognitive decline.” (iStock)
The researchers did acknowledge that the study only included older adults, who may have a “specific vulnerability” to lower levels of B12.
Those lower levels, however, “could impact cognition to a greater extent than what we previously thought, and may affect a much larger proportion of the population than we realize,” according to co-first author Alexandra Beaudry-Richard, who is currently completing her doctorate in research and medicine at the UCSF Department of Neurology and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa.
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“In addition to redefining B12 deficiency, clinicians should consider supplementation in older patients with neurological symptoms even if their levels are within normal limits,” she suggested in the release.
“Ultimately, we need to invest in more research about the underlying biology of B12 insufficiency, since it may be a preventable cause of cognitive decline.”
“Even participants with B12 levels deemed ‘normal’ by today’s medical standards showed clear signs of neurological impairment.”
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert, said the study supports the idea that “normal” vitamin B12 levels are “grossly inadequate” for protecting the brain from age-related decline.
“Even participants with B12 levels deemed ‘normal’ by today’s medical standards showed clear signs of neurological impairment — slower processing speeds, increased white matter hyperintensities on MRI (a marker of small vessel disease), and elevated tau protein (a biomarker of neurodegeneration). This is concerning to say the least,” Osborn told Fox News Digital.
The current minimum recommendations weren’t designed for optimal cognitive function or longevity, according to Osborn.
One neurosurgeon and longevity expert recommends supplements of B-complex vitamins, including B12, to ensure healthy levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is produced during protein metabolism. (iStock)
“Instead, they were based on population averages — an inherently flawed approach when the ‘average’ person today is metabolically unhealthy. This is yet another example of mainstream medicine lagging behind the science.”
In Osborn’s clinic, he recommends supplements of B-complex vitamins, including B12, to ensure healthy levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is produced during protein metabolism.
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“When homocysteine is elevated — a potential proxy for low B12 — brain function declines,” Osborn said.
The doctor did note that the study is observational, and that “correlation doesn’t prove causation.”
“Even participants with B12 levels deemed ‘normal’ by today’s medical standards showed clear signs of neurological impairment.” (iStock)
“But do you really need a randomized controlled trial to tell you that optimizing B12 intake benefits brain health? That’s like waiting for a study to confirm that eating vegetables is good for you,” Osborn said.
“The data are there. The science is crystal-clear.”
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Like the researchers, Osborn called for an update to the “normal” lab levels.
“It’s time to start defining health by optimal levels — not by whatever happens to be ‘average’ in an increasingly sick population. Because who wants to be normal when you can be optimal?”
“No clear evidence has been found to suggest benefit in B12 supplementation in patients without a deficiency.”
Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, agreed that this study raises the question of redefining what levels constitute a B12 deficiency.
“Previous studies have recommended supplementation in patients with a known vitamin B12 deficiency to mitigate cognitive issues; however, no clear evidence has been found to suggest benefit in B12 supplementation in patients without a deficiency,” Murray, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
The neurologist cautioned against people taking “mega-doses” of vitamins.
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“Often, high levels of vitamins, especially B12, won’t cause issues; however, it can happen,” Murray said.
“I would recommend that patients who are older or at risk of developing cognitive decline discuss with their physician about being tested — not just for vitamin B12 levels, but also for other markers that could suggest improper absorption of vitamin B12.”
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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