Daily Supplementation of Folic Acid, B Vitamins, Vitamin D, and CoQ10 May Be a Potential Preventative Measure of Cognitive Impairment

by | Apr 24, 2023 | 2023, Alzheimer's Disease, Brain Health, Cognitive Health, CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10), Folic Acid & Folate, Vitamin B - General, Vitamin D - Mental Health

Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. Results show that daily vitamin D, B vitamins, folic acid, and CoQ10 supplementation may prevent the occurrence of cognitive impairment in older adults. 

aging coupleDementia is characterized by a progressive deterioration of mental capacity that inevitably compromises independent living1. Dementia is most attributed to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with over five million people currently affected by AD, and 13.8 million are projected to be affected by the year 20502. AD is defined by extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles3.

As emerging evidence continues to identify modifiable risk factors for AD, it is increasingly understood that diet and lifestyle factors contribute to the fundamental metabolic pathologies of AD and can increase risk of cognitive decline4. The B vitamins, particularly folate (B9), have known relationships with neuronal development, maintenance, and function, and their deficiencies are linked to dementia5. Furthermore, vitamin D, a well-known seco-steroid hormone, has been researched for its ability to modulate the serum level of beta amyloid peptides, suggesting an improved Aβ clearance6. Additionally, CoQ10 has important antioxidant properties through scavenging free radicals and participating in the regeneration of other antioxidants, offering protection to cells against oxidative stress processes7.

Jiang et al. conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the relationship between the vitamin supplements folic acid, B vitamins, vitamin D, and CoQ10 and the cognitive level of middle-aged and elderly participants. Inclusion criteria consisted of being 50 years or older and having completed the standardized examination and diagnosed the degree of cognitive impairment between July 2019 to January 2022 in the Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. A total of 892 questionnaires on eating habits were obtained from participants. Subjects were divided into four groups according to their cognitive function, including 184 subjects in the AD group, 296 in the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group, 227 participants in the subjective cognitive decline (SCD) group and 185 in the normal control (NC) group.

Further information including basic clinical information, demographic data, basic physical condition, disease history, drug history, and personal history were obtained. The questionnaire question about vitamins pertained to whether participants supplement folic acid, B vitamins, vitamin D, and CoQ10. Participants underwent a physical examination, neuropsychological test, laboratory examination (genetic detection such as apolipoprotein E (APOE), and imaging examination (brain MRI and Aβ-PET). To evaluate the cognitive function of subjects, they used the Mini Mental State examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment – Basic (MoCA-B), and The Addenbrook’s Cognitive Examination (ACE-III).

The four groups of participants were divided into three categories: the NC group and the SCD group in Category one; the MCI group and the AD group in Category two; the cognitive normal group (NC group + the SCD group), and the cognitive impaired group (MCI group + the AD group) in Category three. Chi-square test was utilized to compare the demographic information, basic physical condition, drug history, drinking and smoking habits, and vitamin supplements for the three categories. Different logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between vitamin supplements and different cognitive levels, taking vitamins as a category (daily, occasionally, not at all). Significant findings of the study are as follows:

  • Compared to those having no vitamin D supplement, individuals with MCI who used supplements daily had a lower risk of developing AD (OR = 0.551, 95% CI, 0.312-0.973, p = 0.040.
  • Compared with those having no folic acid supplement, individuals with normal cognitive ability who used folic acid supplements daily had a lower risk of cognitive impairment (OR = 0.577, 95% CI, 0.369-0.903, p = 0.016).
  • Compared to those who did not take B vitamin supplementation, individuals with normal cognitive ability who consumed B vitamins either daily or occasionally had a lower risk of cognitive impairment (OR = 0.389, 95%CI, 0.263–0.576, p < 0.001; OR = 0.522, 95%CI, 0.371–0.736, p < 0.001, respectively).

Results of the study show that vitamin D supplementation may prevent the occurrence of cognitive impairment or delay the progress of cognitive impairment, while B vitamins, folic acid, and CoQ10 supplementation could prevent the occurrence of cognitive impairment only. Study limitations include the inability to determine the causal relationship between the relevant factors due to the observational study design and the inability to control all confounding factors affecting cognition.

Source: Jiang, Xinting, Yihan Guo, Liang Cui, Lin Huang, Qihao Guo, and Gaozhong Huang. “Study of Diet Habits and Cognitive Function in the Chinese Middle-Aged and Elderly Population: The Association between Folic Acid, B Vitamins, Vitamin D, Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation and Cognitive Ability.” Nutrients 15, no. 5 (2023): 1243.

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Posted April 17, 2023.

Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.

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