The B-complex vitamin, folic acid (also called folate), is involved in many metabolic processes including DNA synthesis. Folic acid deficiency is linked to birth defects such as spina bifida as well as poor cognitive performance, atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. Studies suggest that folic acid supplementation can help prevent various birth defects, lower levels of homocysteine (a metabolite that damages blood vessels) and improve blood flow. Now research reports that folic acid supplementation can improve memory and cognitive function in older adults.
The randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study, published in The Lancet, investigated the effects of folic acid supplementation on cognitive performance. Researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, administered 800 mug of folic acid or a placebo daily to 1,800 men and women aged 50-70 years for three years. The subjects were participants in the Folic Acid and Carotid Intima-media Thickness (FACIT) trial between November, 1999, and December, 2004, in the Netherlands. Cognitive function tests including memory, sensorimotor speed, complex speed, information processing speed and word fluency performances were obtained from the participants at the beginning and end of the study.
The researchers found that serum folate concentrations increased 576 percent and serum homocysteine levels decreased 26 percent in the folic acid group, as compared to the placebo group. Furthermore, the folic acid group had a significantly better change in memory, information processing speed and sensorimotor speed, than the placebo group
"Folic acid supplementation for 3 years significantly improved domains of cognitive function that tend to decline with age," the study authors conclude.
REFERENCES:
1. Durga J. Effect of 3-year folic acid supplementation on cognitive function in older adults in the FACIT trial: a randomised, double blind, controlled trial. Lancet 2007 Jan 20;369(9557):208-16.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on February 12, 2007 03:26 PM
