Association Between Serum Vitamins and the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease in Chinese Population

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic and fatal neurodegenerative disease; accumulating evidence suggests that vitamin deficiency is associated with the risk of AD. However, studies attempting to elucidate the relationship between vitamins and AD varied widely.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin levels and AD in a cohort of the Chinese population.

A total of 368 AD patients and 574 healthy controls were recruited in this study; serum vitamin A, B1, B6, B9, B12, C, D, and E were measured in all participants.

Compared with the controls, vitamin B2, B9, B12, D, and E were significantly reduced in AD patients. Lower levels of vitamin B2, B9, B12, D, and E were associated with the risk of AD. After adjusting for age and gender, low levels of vitamin B2, B9, and B12 were still related to the risk of AD. In addition, a negative correlation was determined between vitamin E concentration and Activity of Daily Living Scale score while no significant association was found between serum vitamins and age at onset, disease duration, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire score.

We conclude that lower vitamin B2, B9, B12, D, and E might be associated with the risk of AD, especially vitamin B2, B9, and B12. And lower vitamin E might be related to severe ability impairment of daily activities.