Study suggests THIS vitamin may protect against Alzheimer’s disease

Scientifically, patients with the disease are said to have a protein known as beta-amyloid in their brains, which appears to have a toxic effect on neurons, disrupting cell-to-cell communication.

The researchers used C. elegans, tiny soil-living worms for the study. A buildup of beta-amyloid in these tiny worms is believed to cause paralysis within 36 hours of adulthood, an effect that was seen when they stopped squirming.

However, when fed with E. coli bacteria that contain high levels of vitamin B12, the worms were found to be protected from paralysis.

According to Professor Jessica Tanis, the study’s principal investigator, “The reading is black or white – the worms move or they don’t.

“When we gave vitamin B12 to the worms that lacked vitamin B12, the paralysis happened much more slowly, which immediately told us that B12 was beneficial.

“The worms with B12 also had higher energy levels and lower oxidative stress in their cells,” she adds.

What’s more, the study also found that the trick only worked if the worms were vitamin deficient in the first place.