Researchers have found that a safe and inexpensive vitamin regimen can reduce levels of an amino acid called homocysteine that has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Reporting preliminary results in the March/April issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the researchers found that homocysteine levels subsided with high doses of a vitamin regimen of folic acid, B12 and B6 vitamins.

The researchers are now recruiting participants for a larger trial, called Vital, at a variety of sites across the country to determine whether use of the vitamins to lower homocysteine level has a favorable impact on the course of Alzheimer's disease.

"We are not suggesting that people go out and take high doses of these vitamins," said Dr. Paul S. Aisen, professor of neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center. "There are possible downsides, including peripheral nerve damage."

Aisen said the upcoming trial would show whether high doses of folic acid, B12 and B6 can indeed slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease and become an important therapy.

Four hundred individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease will be randomly assigned to receive vitamins or placebos. An assessment of their memory, thinking and language will be made to determine the progress of their disease during the course of 18 months.

Family members of individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in the Washington, DC area interested in participating in the trial at Georgetown should contact the Memory Disorders Program at (202) 784-6671.

Other study sites for the clinical trial are located in Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Texas.

Other sources: Georgetown University Medical Center