Benfotiamine’s Effects on Measures of Brain Aging

Many people know how damaging high blood sugar can be to the heart, nerves, and kidneys.

What most don't know is that it can be especially harmful to the brain.^1-4

Metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance and high blood glucose, are major risk factors for the deterioration of brain function and development of dementia.^1,5-8

Scientists have found that a compound called benfotiamine (fat-soluble form of vitamin B1) can not only help against the destructive effect of high blood sugar and metabolic disease but also help slow neurodegeneration.^9-11

Human studies show that benfotiamine intake can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and boost cognitive function.^12,13

In one clinical study, individuals with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease who took benfotiamine experienced 77% less decline in their clinical dementia rating over a year than those receiving a placebo.¹²

Metabolic Abnormalities Harm the Brain

Advanced glycation end products are toxic compounds formed when proteins, fats, and nucleic acids irreversibly bind with sugars.

They can potentially impact several aspects of  health, including blood sugar levels that can provoke and worsen diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.¹⁴ Glycation happens in normal individuals but in diabetics the process is accelerated.¹⁵

Not only does glycation damage brain structures, but accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the brain is a mechanism that has linked diabetes to cognitive impairment.^1,16,17

The link between metabolic disease and brain disease is so close, doctors often refer to Alzheimer's disease as type III diabetes.¹ Individuals with diabetes, for example, have double the risk of developing dementia.^18,19

The higher the blood glucose levels, the higher the risk. But diabetics are not the only ones in danger.

Alarmingly, even slight elevations in glucose increase the risk of cognitive decline.^5,20-22 Individuals with prediabetes have an 18% greater chance of developing dementia than those with normal glucose.⁵

Thiamine and Healthy Brain Function

Thiamine is an essential nutrient also known as vitamin B1. It is required for cellular metabolism. ^9-11

Thiamine is particularly crucial in the brain, where it is neuroprotective and helps mitigate glycation and AGE-related tissue damage.^9,23

Without adequate thiamine, the brain's metabolism is compromised, and the damage done by glycation is accelerated. Studies have found that thiamine function is significantly diminished in those with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.^9,10,24

Benfotiamine is a fat-soluble form of thiamine that is far more bioavailable than regular thiamine and provides additional mechanisms of brain protection.¹⁰

Brain Benefits of Benfotiamine

Benfotiamine is converted into thiamine in the body. Oral intake of benfotiamine has been shown to rapidly restore body levels of thiamine.^9-11

But benfotiamine isn't just a more bioavailable thiamine. It has been shown to offer benefits to brain health that are not seen with thiamine alone.^9,10

Animal models of neurodegenerative disease have found that benfotiamine helps prevent brain damage and improve cognitive function.^9-11,25-27

It does this in multiple ways, including by:

• Restoring thiamine levels. Benfotiamine converts into thiamine, which ensures that there is enough available for thiamine-dependent enzymes to function optimally.¹⁰
• Anti-glycation activity. Glycation in the brain diminishes the function of vital proteins, contributing to disease. Benfotiamine is a potent anti-glycation nutrient.^10-12,23
• Anti-inflammatory activity. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in the brain accompany metabolic disease and cognitive dysfunction. Benfotiamine shields the brain from both of these threats.^9-11
• Improving metabolic health. Excess activity of the enzyme GSK-3 (glycogen synthase kinase-3) has been implicated as a potential target in insulin resistance and metabolic abnormalities in the brain.^28,29 Preclinical studies suggest benfotiamine reduces GSK-3 activity, which could help protect brain function.^9-11,25

What You Need to Know

Guard Against Cognitive Decline

• Elevated blood sugar and the resulting toxic glycation increase the risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Even slightly elevated blood glucose significantly increases the risk of dementia.
• Thiamine is a vitamin that is crucial for energy metabolism in cells.
• While thiamine absorption is limited, its precursor benfotiamine has superior bioavailability and rapidly increases thiamine levels in the body.
• Benfotiamine improves brain cell metabolism, fights harmful glycation, and defends against cognitive decline in multiple other ways.
• In human studies, benfotiamine slows the progression of, or even reverses, cognitive decline in those with early signs of dementia.

Human Studies of Benfotiamine

The neuroprotective properties of benfotiamine have been demonstrated in studies of adults with early cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.^12,13

In one placebo-controlled trial study, individuals with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease were randomized to receive either 300 mg of benfotiamine twice daily for a year or a placebo. Patients were assessed on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale and Clinical Dementia Rating score.¹²

Those in the benfotiamine group experienced better preservation of cognitive function as well as a 77% less decline in the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale than those receiving the placebo.

The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale score was 43% lower in the benfotiamine group as compared to placebo.¹² (Lower by this measure means improved cognitive function.)

In addition, while glycation increased by almost 10% in the placebo group, it decreased by more than 5% in those receiving benfotiamine.¹²

An earlier pilot study recruited five patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, assessing their cognitive status at baseline with the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE).

Prior to treatment, participants also underwent brain scans to detect the toxic protein beta-amyloid, and its presence was confirmed in all of them. Study participants received 300 mg of benfotiamine per day over the course of 18 months.¹³

At the end of the study period, they retook the MMSE and underwent another PET scan to see if the benfotiamine supplementation led to any improvements. The results were impressive. Four out of five patients demonstrated cognitive improvement on the MMSE. Over that time, the five subjects improved by an average of 3.2 points on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), a common screening tool for cognitive impairment.¹³

Even a one-point change in MMSE is considered meaningful, though the usual expected change is a decrease.³⁰ That makes this 3.2 point average improvement not only highly clinically meaningful but also remarkable.  

These studies indicate that benfotiamine can slow cognitive deterioration and even improve cognitive function in those with early signs of dementia.

Summary

Elevated blood sugar and toxic glycation contribute to decline in cognitive function and risk for dementia.

Thiamine is a vitamin that is crucial to normal metabolism in the brain. The thiamine precursor benfotiamine protects the brain against damage done by metabolic disease and high blood sugar.

Human studies of benfotiamine have demonstrated its ability to slow or reverse cognitive decline in individuals with early dementia.

If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension^® Health Advisor at 1-866-864-3027.

References

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