Vitamin Supplement Found To Prevent Severe Brain Cells Loss
According to researchers, a complex dietary supplement has shown anti-aging properties that appear to prevent, and even reverse brain cell loss. The dietary supplement that contains a blend of 30 vitamins and minerals may possibly reduce the development of debilitating neurological diseases such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease too. Being dubbed as the “Fountain of Youth” pill, the supplement may dramatically reverse the effects of aging and prevent the loss of brain cells, researchers said.
Scientists from McMaster University in Canada developed the formula for the supplement back in 2000 with the intention of making it an over-the-counter pill that would combat neurological degeneration and aging. Dr Lemon and her colleagues gave transgenic and normal mice a daily supplement that contained vitamins B1, B3, B6, B12, C, D and E; acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, aspirin, beta-carotene, bioflavonoids, chromium picolinate, cod liver oil, CoQ10, DHEA, flax seed oil, folic acid, garlic, ginger, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, green tea, L-glutathione, magnesium, melatonin, N-acetylcysteine, potassium, rutin, selenium and zinc. Animals received the supplement from the time of weaning throughout their lifespan. Untreated transgenic and normal mice
served as controls.The mice were fed the supplement on small pieces of bagel each day over the course of several months. Over time, researchers found that it completely eliminated the severe brain cell loss and abolished cognitive decline.
“The findings are dramatic,” stated lead author Jennifer A. Lemon, who is a research associate in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. “Our hope is that this supplement could offset some very serious illnesses and ultimately improve quality of life.”
“The research suggests that there is tremendous potential with this supplement to help people who are suffering from some catastrophic neurological diseases,” says Lemon, who conducted the work with co-author Vadim Aksenov, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at McMaster.
“We know this because mice experience the same basic cell mechanisms that contribute to neurodegeneration that humans do. All species, in fact. There is a commonality among us all.”
In addition to looking at the major markers of aging, they also discovered that the mice on the supplements experienced enhancement in vision and most remarkably in the sense of smell, the loss of which is often associated with neurological disease, improved balance and motor activity.
The next step in the research is to test the supplement on humans, likely within the next two years, and target those who are dealing with neurodegenerative diseases. The research is published online in the journal Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis.
