Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jul 09, 2026 1 hour, 23 minutes ago
Medical News: Scientists Find Vitamin B12 May Help Protect the Brain After COVID-19
A new study has found that giving vitamin B12 soon after COVID-19 infection may help reduce brain inflammation and protect nerve cells that are often damaged during long COVID. Researchers discovered that early treatment lowered harmful inflammation in a critical memory center of the brain and reduced changes linked to neurodegeneration, raising hopes that an inexpensive vitamin could eventually become part of future long COVID treatment strategies.
Early vitamin B12 treatment reduced brain inflammation and protected memory-related brain cells in an animal model of
long COVID
The research was conducted by scientists from the Instituto René Rachou (IRR), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), and the Faculty of Medicine at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil.
Long COVID Can Continue Damaging the Brain
Many people recovering from COVID-19 continue to struggle with memory problems, poor concentration, and the so-called "brain fog" long after the infection has cleared. Scientists believe much of this damage occurs in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
In this study, researchers infected Syrian golden hamsters with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 before beginning vitamin B12 treatment three days later. They then examined the animals' brains two weeks after infection to determine whether the vitamin could reduce ongoing inflammation and protect brain cells.
Vitamin B12 Reduced Harmful Brain Inflammation
One of the most important discoveries involved a chemical messenger known as CCL11, which has been associated with impaired brain cell growth and cognitive decline. COVID-19 sharply increased CCL11 levels inside the hippocampus, particularly in female animals. However, vitamin B12 treatment significantly reduced these elevated levels.
This
Medical News report highlights that the researchers also found vitamin B12 prevented the weight loss and reduced appetite caused by COVID-19.
Surprisingly, administering the vitamin every three days produced better results than giving it daily, suggesting that treatment timing and dosing may play an important role in maximizing its protective effects.
Brain Cells Were Better Preserved
The investigators found that COVID-19 triggered activation of immune cells called microglia, which normally defend the brain but can become harmful when excessively activated. The infection also reduced the number of mature neurons in important hippocampal regions, especially in females.
Vitamin B12 greatly reduced this excessive immune activation while preserving healthy neurons. Genetic analysis further showed that the vitamin reversed many harmful molecular pathways linked to Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disea
se, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and abnormal energy metabolism. At the same time, it activated pathways involved in neuronal communication, brain plasticity, and healthier immune regulation.
Interestingly, the protective effects differed between males and females, indicating that biological sex may influence how long COVID affects the brain and how patients respond to future therapies.
Hope for an Affordable Future Therapy
The findings suggest that vitamin B12 does far more than correct a nutritional deficiency. It appears capable of regulating inflammatory signals, lowering damaging CCL11 activity, reducing excessive immune responses in the brain, and protecting vulnerable nerve cells from long COVID-related injury. Although these encouraging results were obtained in an animal model and require confirmation in human clinical trials, they provide strong biological evidence that early vitamin B12 therapy could become a practical and affordable addition to future long COVID treatment strategies while also improving recovery during the acute phase of infection.
The study findings were published on a preprint server and are currently being peer reviewed.
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-9912983/v1
For the latest on COVID-19 and Long COVID, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
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