Not ready to recommend
Commenting on the research, Michael S. Okun, MD, medical adviser at the Parkinson’s Foundation and professor and director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida, Gainesville, noted that other recent studies have suggested high-dose B12 may be preventive and a possible treatment in Parkinson’s disease.
“Although only a secondary aim of the current study, there was a reported potential benefit” in this new study, too, said Dr. Okun, who was not involved with the research.
However, the evidence is still not strong enough to change prescribing habits, he noted. “We do not recommend high-dose B12 either for those at genetic risk of Parkinson’s or those already with the disease,” Dr. Okun said.
He added that because multiple recent studies have questioned the beneficial effects for multivitamin combinations used to prevent neurologic diseases, “it wasn’t surprising to see results showing a lack of protection against later-onset Parkinson’s disease with [cumulative] folate, B6, and B12 intake” in the current study.
The study was supported by the NIH. Dr. Flores and Dr. Okun have reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.