Scientifically, patients with this condition have a protein in their brains known as amyloid beta, which is said to have a toxic effect on neurons, disrupting cell-to-cell communication.
The researchers used C. elegans, tiny soil-dwelling insects, for the study. It is thought that an accretion of amyloid beta in these tiny worms causes paralysis within 36 hours of reaching adulthood, an effect seen when they stopped their wagging.
However, when fed E. coli bacteria with high levels of vitamin B12, it was found that the worms were protected from paralysis.
According to Professor Jessica Tanis, lead researcher of the study, “The read-out is black or white – the insects are either moving or they are not.
“When we gave vitamin B12 to worms that were deficient in vitamin B12, the paralysis occurred very slowly, which immediately told us that B12 was beneficial.
“Worms with B12 also had higher energy levels and less oxidative stress in their cells,” she adds.
Additionally, the study also found that this trick only worked if the insects had previously been deficient in the vitamin.
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