Italian researchers presented findings from a study using citicoline in people with mild vascular dementia. The dietary supplement is a naturally occurring compound needed for the production of the fats which make up the membranes of our cells.
It is believed that citicoline may help repair damage from injured blood vessels and boost levels of the chemicals which help nerve cells communicate. The study followed 265 participants over the age of 65 for nine months and found that while the memory performance of the control group declined over the nine month period, scores were maintained in people taking 500mg of citicoline twice daily.
The findings are due to be presented today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC).
Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:
“Previous short term trials have suggested citicoline may benefit people older people with memory problems and these findings seem to add to this evidence, however this study did have a significant limitation. A weakness of the study is that participants were aware of whether they were in the group taking citicoline, which could influence their performance on memory tests.
“There are currently no drugs specifically to treat vascular dementia and so research in this area is vital. While this study, and other research, suggests citicoline is safe to take, more research is needed to confirm whether the supplement has real benefits for the health of our brain.”
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