Does milk fight Alzheimer's?

The study suggests that milk is one of the best sources of vitamin B12

The Daily Telegraph has reported that “two glasses of milk a day could help protect against Alzheimer's”. The newspaper says that research has shown that “milk is one of the best sources of vitamin B12, which is thought to reduce neurological damage to the brain”. The study is also reported to have found that elderly patients with low levels of vitamin B12 had twice the amount of brain shrinkage found in people with higher levels of the vitamin.

The findings described in the newspaper come from two different studies by the same research group. The findings on B12 levels and brain shrinkage were reported in 2008, while the current study examines how dietary sources of vitamin B12 relate to B12 levels found in the body. While the research suggests that milk and fish are good sources of B12, the study has some limitations and will need to be confirmed by further research.

This study did not look at the effects of milk consumption on brain shrinkage or Alzheimer’s disease, and further research would be needed to determine whether drinking milk can ease these conditions. However, maintaining adequate levels of vitamins through a balanced diet is important for overall health.
Where did the story come from?

Dr Anna Vogiatzoglou and colleagues from the University of Oxford and universities in Norway carried out this research, which was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study was funded by a number of Norwegian organisations, including the Norwegian Health Association, the Foundation to Promote Research into Functional Vitamin B12 deficiency, the Research Council of Norway plus the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and the Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust in the UK.

See complete:
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/03March/Pages/MilkAlzheimers.aspx

Alzheimers's Disease

Symptoms
Memory loss is usually the first sign of Alzheimer's disease. Many older people may worry about Alzheimer's disease if they start to have memory problems. Having some short-term memory loss in your 60s and 70s is common, and some people with mild memory problems will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease. If you start having memory problems, share your concerns with your family and your doctor.

Examples of normal forgetfulness include forgetting:
Parts of an experience.
Where the car is parked.
Events from the distant past.
A person's name, remembering it later.
Where you left an object, such as your car keys.

Examples of memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease include forgetting:
An entire experience.
How to drive a car or read a clock.
Recent events, such as forgetting you left the stove on.
Ever having known a particular person.
Alzheimer's disease also causes changes in thinking, behavior, and personality. Early in the disease, the person may still behave appropriately in social situations, leading others to believe that the person is not ill. Close family members and friends may first notice the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, although the person may also realize that something is wrong.

Learn the warning signs of dementia—such as having difficulty thinking or remembering, or having trouble balancing a checkbook—and talk to a doctor if a friend or family member has developed any of the signs. Symptoms vary as the disease progresses.

More...
http://health.yahoo.com/alzheimers-symptoms/alzheimer-s-disease-symptoms/healthwise--hw136643.html