Want to stave off memory loss in old age? Eat a diet rich in fish, meat and milk daily, for a new study has revealed that a key vitamin found in them helps in preventing brain shrinkage.

Researchers at Oxford University have found that the vitamin B12, which is crucial to the formation of red blood cells and the maintenance of a healthy nervous system, stops brain shrinkage linked to memory problems.

According to lead researcher Prof David Smith, “This study adds another dimension to our understanding of the effects of B vitamins on the brain -- the rate of shrinkage of the brain as we age may be partly influenced by what we eat.”

The researchers have based their findings on an analysis of the memory of 107 people, aged 61 to 87, over a period of five years. The subjects were split into three groups depending on their vitamin B12 levels.

They found that those participants with lower levels of the vitamin in their blood were six times more likely to experience brain shrinkage than those with higher levels, the British media reported.

“This study suggests that consuming more vitamin B12 through eating meat, fish, fortified cereals or milk as part of a balanced diet might help protect the brain. Liver and shellfish are particularly rich sources of B12,” Rebecca Wood, of Alzheimer’s Research Trust, which funded the research said.

The study has been published in the latest edition of the ‘Neurology’ journal.