Dementia breakthrough

But the findings of Professor David Smith and his team, which have given hope to millions fearful of deteriorating memory and dementia, points to a breathtakingly simple, cheap and effective way forward for vulnerable elderly people.

For an over-the-counter vitamin tablet, costing as little as 10p a day, appears to hold out the real prospect of slowing brain shrinkage in elderly people, possibly delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

The new research found that high doses of vitamin B cut the rate of brain shrinkage by up to half in elderly people with memory difficulties, who are at risk of developing dementia.

Prof Smith, pictured, founded the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) 22 years ago to advance understanding of the causes, treatment and prevention of dementia.

What is now being hailed around the world as an important breakthrough is all the more remarkable because it comes in an area of research that has seen precious little success, despite billions of pounds of investment.

Dementia blights the lives of more than 800,000 Britons, with the number of cases expected to double within a generation.

No previous drug trials have previously been successful. But the Oxford team’s trials, which have led to headlines across the globe, could not be in starker contrast to multi-million-pound drug company research projects, which have so far failed to deliver anything to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. (One recent drug, being developed by a drug company, was eventually found to actually make the condition worse.) Just 168 volunteers, all from Oxfordshire, took part in the trial after an advertisement was placed in The Oxford Times, seeking the assistance of people, aged over 70, who were worried about memory loss.

Half of the participants were given a daily tablet containing very high doses of three B vitamins for two years, while the other received a placebo. They all underwent MRI scans to measure the rate of brain shrinkage over the two years.

The results, published in the journal PLoS ONE, revealed that the brains of those who took the B vitamins on average shrank about a third less than those on daily dummy pills, in some cases up to a half less.

Prof Smith, of Oxford University’s Department of Pharmacology, said: “It is our hope that this simple and safe treatment will delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease in many people who suffer from mild memory problems. Today there are about 1.5m elderly in UK, five million in the USA and 14m in Europe with such memory problems.

“These are immensely promising results. But we do need to do more trials to conclude whether these particular B vitamins can slow, or prevent, development of Alzheimer’s.”

The research has centred on an amino acid called homocysteine, which is naturally made in the body and has been linked to increased risk of memory loss and Alzheimer’s. Certain B vitamins — folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 — were known to control levels of amino acid homocysteine in the blood.

So, two years ago, the Oxford team, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital and the university’s Department of Pharmacology, set out to see whether supplements of the B vitamins that lower homocysteine could slow the higher rate of brain shrinkage observed in cases of memory loss and Alzheimer’s.

John Hough, 80, of Banbury, one of those who took part in the trial, said he had signed up after being worried about his memory over years.

Mr Hough, of Sandell Close, said: “As a boy I always struggled with my memory. The poetry teacher always used to pick on me because he knew I would struggle to remember the stanzas.

“That’s why I decided to take part in the trial. It doesn’t make your memory any better but what it does seem to do is arrest the decline of my memory.”

After stopping taking the tablets after the trial, he noticed after a few months his memory become worse.

“I am now going to continue to take it myself now the trial is over,” he said.

Prof Smith said only elderly people who were worried about memory lapses should consider taking the high-dose vitamin tablets — and then only after first consulting their doctors.

He said that some research had shown that taking high dosages of a vitamin B brought an increased risk of cancer The cancer risk appeared to be small, however, and he believed the benefits in terms of memory would far outweigh the potential cancer risk for many people.

Prof Smith has spent his entire academic career at Oxford University, joining the Department of Pharmacology after graduating from Christ Church. When the OPTIMA began its work in 1988, Prof Smith said little was known about Alzheimer’s, then viewed as a disease that was difficult even to diagnose accurately.

The OPTIMA team is now 20-strong, made up of researchers and nurses, who were heavily involved in the trial, which cost £1m.

Prof Smith said the group would now be seeking funding to carry out a bigger trial, involving more than 1,000 volunteers, to build on the breakthrough.

The tablets that contain extremely high doses of B vitamins are available in health foods shops in this country but are not currently licensed for prescription by doctors.

Marianne Talbot, of Headington, a supporter of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, one of the charities that supported the research, said: “Advances like this may be too late for my mum but it’s wonderful to know there’s hope for future generations if we put enough money into research.

“My mother died from Alzheimer’s in 2009, aged 89, after a ten-year struggle with this devastating disease. She lived with me for five years and, without any training or preparation, I found myself caring for her. Watching her deteriorate was one of the saddest things I have ever done.

“Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK have Alzheimer’s, yet, there is nowhere near enough investment into new treatments for this appalling disease. Research is the only way we’ll beat this disease and alleviate the misery it brings, not only to the individual, but to their whole family.”

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, which co-funded the Oxford study, said: “These are very important results, with B vitamins now showing a prospect of protecting some people from Alzheimer’s in old age. The strong findings must inspire an expanded trial to follow people expected to develop Alzheimer’s.”