Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. Combined supplementation with B12 and folic acid significantly improved gross motor and problem solving skills in young children between 6-30 months.
Folic acid has long been known to support neurological development especially during pregnancy. Folic acid deficiency is linked to neural tube defects in neonates as well as low birth weight, stunted growth, neural crest disorders, and pre-term birth. 1 B12, like folic acid, is essential to neurological development in the early stages of life. 2,3 In the current study, researchers investigated the effect of combined B12/Folic acid supplementation versus B12 and Folic acid alone on children in North India. 4
In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial 4, researchers investigated the effect of B12 and folic acid supplementation on development in rural children in India. The children were 6 months to 2.5 years old and some of them had stunted growth while others presented symptoms of delayed neurological development. They were randomized into one of 4 treatment groups: placebo, B12, Folic Acid, or B-12 & folic acid supplementation. Children aged 6-11 months were given 5g while those 1 to 2.5 years old were given 10g. in those given folic acid or B12, the 5g dose contained 75mcg folic acid or 0.9mcg B12 or both and the 10 g dose contained 150mcg folic acid or 1.8mcg B12 or both. Height and weight were measured at baseline and after 6 months of supplementation. Blood was also taken at beginning and end of the trial to measure folate, B12, and tHcy. Developmental assessment was done only at the end of the trial (after 6 months).
A total of 422 children completed the trial which lasted for 6 months. The study found that children supplemented with both B12 & folic acid showed significant developmental improvement in gross motor skills and problem-solving skills at the end of the trial compared to the placebo group (p=0.05). Also, children who received only B12 showed improvement in gross motor skills compared to placebo (p=0.05). Additionally, researchers found that supplementing B12 & folic acid before 18 months of age significantly reduces the odds developmental delay (p=0.015). The study reinforces the necessity of B12 and folic acid for proper neurological development in children. Further studies will be needed to determine the age range to supplement B12 & folic acid that is critical to preventing developmental issues in young children.
Source: Kvestad I, Taneja S, Kumar T, Hysing M, Refsum H, Yajnik CS, et al. (2015) Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Improve Gross Motor and Problem-Solving Skills in Young North Indian Children: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. PLoS ONE 10(6): e0129915. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0129915
© 2015 Kvestad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Posted June 19, 2019.
Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.
References
- Bailey LB, Stover PJ, McNulty H, et al. Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development-Folate Review. J Nutr. 2015;145(7):1636s-1680s.
- Monsen AB, Ueland PM, Vollset SE, et al. Determinants of cobalamin status in newborns. PEDIATRICS-SPRINGFIELD-. 2001;108(3):624-630.
- Anand S, Thomas S, Jayachandra M, et al. Effects of maternal B12 supplementation on neurophysiological outcomes in children: a study protocol for an extended follow-up from a placebo randomised control trial in Bangalore, India. BMJ Open. 2019;9(2):e024426.
- Kvestad I, Taneja S, Kumar T, et al. Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Improve Gross Motor and Problem-Solving Skills in Young North Indian Children: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2015;10(6):e0129915.
