The Role of Vitamins in Neurodegenerative Disease: An Update

Overview

Journal Biomedicines

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2021 Oct 23

PMID 34680401

Citations 38

Authors

Sachchida Nand Rai

Payal Singh

Harry W M Steinbusch

Emanuel Vamanu

Ghulam Ashraf

Mohan Prasad Singh

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Acquiring the recommended daily allowance of vitamins is crucial for maintaining homeostatic balance in humans and other animals. A deficiency in or dysregulation of vitamins adversely affects the neuronal metabolism, which may lead to neurodegenerative diseases. In this article, we discuss how novel vitamin-based approaches aid in attenuating abnormal neuronal functioning in neurodegeneration-based brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Prion disease. Vitamins show their therapeutic activity in Parkinson's disease by antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, different water- and lipid-soluble vitamins have also prevented amyloid beta and tau pathology. On the other hand, some results also show no correlation between vitamin action and the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. Some vitamins also exhibit toxic activity too. This review discusses both the beneficial and null effects of vitamin supplementation for neurological disorders. The detailed mechanism of action of both water- and lipid-soluble vitamins is addressed in the manuscript. Hormesis is also an essential factor that is very helpful to determine the effective dose of vitamins. PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus were employed to conduct the literature search of original articles, review articles, and meta-analyses.

Citing Articles

Bee Pollen Phytochemicals and Nutrients as Unequaled Pool of Epigenetic Regulators: Implications for Age-Related Diseases.

Kacemi R, Campos M Foods. 2025; 14(3).

PMID: 39941940 PMC: 11816923. DOI: 10.3390/foods14030347.

An Update of Fungal Endophyte Diversity and Strategies for Augmenting Therapeutic Potential of their Potent Metabolites: Recent Advancement.

Prajapati C, Rai S, Singh A, Chopade B, Singh Y, Singh S Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2025; .

PMID: 39907846 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-024-05098-9.

Nutrition and Huntington's Disease- A Review of Current Practice and Theory.

Gaba A Curr Nutr Rep. 2025; 14(1):18.

PMID: 39821731 PMC: 11739192. DOI: 10.1007/s13668-025-00610-x.

Aguamiel, a Traditional Mexican Beverage: A Review of Its Nutritional Composition, Health Effects and Conservation.

Noriega-Juarez A, Meza-Espinoza L, de Lourdes Garcia-Magana M, Ortiz-Basurto R, Chacon-Lopez M, Anaya-Esparza L Foods. 2025; 14(1.

PMID: 39796424 PMC: 11719483. DOI: 10.3390/foods14010134.

Micro nutrients as immunomodulators in the ageing population: a focus on inflammation and autoimmunity.

Balamurugan B, Marimuthu M, Sundaram V, Saravanan B, Chandrababu P, Chopra H Immun Ageing. 2024; 21(1):88.

PMID: 39731136 PMC: 11674512. DOI: 10.1186/s12979-024-00492-7.

References

Brown J, Bianco J, McGrath J, Eyles D . 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 induces nerve growth factor, promotes neurite outgrowth and inhibits mitosis in embryonic rat hippocampal neurons. Neurosci Lett. 2003; 343(2):139-43. DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(03)00303-3. View

Sunyecz J . The use of calcium and vitamin D in the management of osteoporosis. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2009; 4(4):827-36. PMC: 2621390. DOI: 10.2147/tcrm.s3552. View

Burri B, Chang J, Neidlinger T . β-Cryptoxanthin- and α-carotene-rich foods have greater apparent bioavailability than β-carotene-rich foods in Western diets. Br J Nutr. 2010; 105(2):212-9. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114510003260. View

Bruno Jr E, Ziegenfuss T . Water-soluble vitamins: research update. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2005; 4(4):207-13. DOI: 10.1097/01.csmr.0000306209.56939.48. View

Olanow C . Dietary vitamin E and Parkinson's disease: something to chew on. Lancet Neurol. 2003; 2(2):74. DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(03)00300-4. View

Lempriere S . Vitamin B promotes remyelination. Nat Rev Neurol. 2020; 16(4):184-185. DOI: 10.1038/s41582-020-0331-9. View

Wald D, Kasturiratne A, Simmonds M . Effect of folic acid, with or without other B vitamins, on cognitive decline: meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Med. 2010; 123(6):522-527.e2. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2010.01.017. View

Morris M, Schneider J, Tangney C . Thoughts on B-vitamins and dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2006; 9(4):429-33. PMC: 3428233. DOI: 10.3233/jad-2006-9409. View

Vonder Haar C, Peterson T, Martens K, Hoane M . Vitamins and nutrients as primary treatments in experimental brain injury: Clinical implications for nutraceutical therapies. Brain Res. 2016; 1640(Pt A):114-129. PMC: 4870112. DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.12.030. View

10.

Malaguarnera M, Ferri R, Bella R, Alagona G, Carnemolla A, Pennisi G . Homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate in vascular dementia and in Alzheimer disease. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2004; 42(9):1032-5. DOI: 10.1515/CCLM.2004.208. View

11.

Atkinson C, Zhang K, Munn A, Wiegmans A, Wei M . Prion protein scrapie and the normal cellular prion protein. Prion. 2015; 10(1):63-82. PMC: 4981215. DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2015.1110293. View

12.

Dietiker C, Kim S, Zhang Y, Christine C . Characterization of Vitamin B12 Supplementation and Correlation with Clinical Outcomes in a Large Longitudinal Study of Early Parkinson's Disease. J Mov Disord. 2019; 12(2):91-96. PMC: 6547038. DOI: 10.14802/jmd.18049. View

13.

Bitarafan S, Saboor-Yaraghi A, Sahraian M, Nafissi S, Togha M, Beladi Moghadam N . Impact of Vitamin A Supplementation on Disease Progression in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Arch Iran Med. 2015; 18(7):435-40. DOI: 0151807/AIM.008. View

14.

Lacosta A, Insua D, Badi H, Pesini P, Sarasa M . Neurofibrillary Tangles of Aβx-40 in Alzheimer's Disease Brains. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017; 58(3):661-667. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170163. View

15.

Rodriguez-Oroz M, Martinez Lage P, Sanchez-Mut J, Lamet I, Pagonabarraga J, Toledo J . Homocysteine and cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease: a biochemical, neuroimaging, and genetic study. Mov Disord. 2009; 24(10):1437-44. DOI: 10.1002/mds.22522. View

16.

Reynolds E, Bottiglieri T, Laundy M, Crellin R, Kirker S . Vitamin B12 metabolism in multiple sclerosis. Arch Neurol. 1992; 49(6):649-52. DOI: 10.1001/archneur.1992.00530300089014. View

17.

Goldenberg M . Medical management of Parkinson's disease. P T. 2009; 33(10):590-606. PMC: 2730785. View

18.

Petersen R, Thomas R, Grundman M, Bennett D, Doody R, Ferris S . Vitamin E and donepezil for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment. N Engl J Med. 2005; 352(23):2379-88. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa050151. View

19.

Briani C, Torre C, Citton V, Manara R, Pompanin S, Binotto G . Cobalamin deficiency: clinical picture and radiological findings. Nutrients. 2013; 5(11):4521-39. PMC: 3847746. DOI: 10.3390/nu5114521. View

20.

Kennedy D . Review: power foods for the brain. Cerebrum. 2015; 2015:5. PMC: 4445595. View