NHS Choices has conducted an assessment of a report in the Daily Express that “A daily 10p vitamin pill could prevent millions of people being struck down by Alzheimer’s disease.”

The news is based on results presented at the British Science Festival from a recent study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry on high-dose vitamin B in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The research found that, in a small number of tests, those taking vitamin B showed improvements compared with those taking a placebo. Previous results published in PLoS One had shown that people taking vitamin B experienced 30% less brain atrophy than those taking a placebo.

The assessment notes that newspaper coverage of this research has tended to be overly optimistic about the study’s findings. It concludes that while the results look promising, this small, well-conducted study does not show that vitamin B can help prevent dementia. However, it suggests that high doses may help some people with MCI, which sometimes develops into dementia. A larger trial is required to explore the possible role of the vitamin in slowing progression to dementia.” It stresses that this trial used very high doses of vitamin B that could not be obtained from a normal diet or standard supplements, and high doses of any vitamin supplement may be harmful, It advises that people wishing to use vitamin B supplements, particularly at doses over the recommended daily allowance, should consult their GP before doing so.