Written by Jessica Patella, ND. A recent research on 909 participants, 60-74 years old, has shown that a combination of folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation in an older population reduce cognitive and memory decline.
Dementia or memory impairment later in life is estimated to affect from 2-29% of individuals (1, 2). Mild memory impairment can lead to reduced physical and social functioning and reduced quality of life (1). In 2010, the total estimated costs of dementia was $172 billion in the United States (3). With a large portion of the population aging, memory loss and dementia has become a public health concern (1).
Recent research evaluated the effect of supplementation on memory. Folic acid and Vitamin B-12 were chosen because both supplements have been shown in previous studies to prevent depression in older populations (1, 4). Research also shows depression later in life is associated with memory impairment (1, 5).
The recent research included 909 participants, 60-74 years old, over 2 years. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or a supplement containing 400 micrograms folic acid and 100 micrograms vitamin B-12 (1). They were followed up by telephone during the 2-year trial to ensure compliance. A total of 797 (87.7%) completed the 12-month interview and 752 (82.7%) completed the 24-month interview.
Cognitive and memory function was measured by using the TICS-M questionnaire. The TICS-M has a total score of 39 and measures 4 areas of cognitive function: 1) orientation; 2) registration, recent memory and delayed recall; 3) attention/calculation; and 4) semantic memory, comprehension and repetition. The higher the score, the better the cognitive function.
Participants in the folic acid and B-12 group had a significantly greater increase in TICS-M total scores from baseline to month 24 than the placebo group (P=0.032; effect size 0.17). The effect was not significant as month 12 (p=0.283). Participants in the folic acid and B-12 group also had significantly greater improvements in both immediate (P<0.046; effect size 0.15) and delayed recall (P<0.013; effect size 0.18) from baseline to month 24 (1).
One theory to explain how folic acid and B-12 prevent dementia is that they lower homocysteine concentrations, thereby reducing vascular risk factors (1, 6). In the current research homocysteine levels increased significantly less in the folic acid and B-12 group (8.33%; from 9.6 to 10.4 micromol/L) compared to placebo (22.45%; from 9.8 to 12.0 micromol/L; p,0.001) (1). This theory is also supported by the fact that the folic acid and B-12 supplementation showed significantly improvements only at month 24 not at month 12. The effects of homocysteine concentrations on vascular risk factors are long-term not short term (1).
In conclusion, combined folic acid and vitamin B-12 supplementation in an older population reduced cognitive and memory decline in this study. This is one of the largest trials to study the effects of supplements on memory decline in older adults (1).
Source: Walker, Janine G., Philip J. Batterham, Andrew J. Mackinnon, Anthony F. Jorm, Ian Hickie, Michael Fenech, Marjan Kljakovic, Dimity Crisp, and Helen Christensen. “Oral folic acid and vitamin B-12 supplementation to prevent cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults with depressive symptoms—the Beyond Ageing Project: a randomized controlled trial.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 95, no. 1 (2012): 194-203.
© 2012 American Society for Nutrition
Posted January 9, 2012.
References:
- Walker et al. Oral folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation to prevent cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults with depressive symptoms-the Beyond Ageing Project; a randomized controlled trial. 2011 Am J Clin Nutr doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.007799.
- Bussee A et al. Mild Cognitive impairment: prevalence and incidence according to different diagnostic criteria. Br J Psychiatry 2003; 182: 449-54.
- Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Alzheimer’s Association.
- Walker JG, et al. Mental health literacy, folic acid and vitamin B12, and physical activity for the prevention of depression in older adults: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry 2010;197: 45–54.
- Naismith SL, et al. Neuropsychological performance in patients with depression is associated with clinical, etiological and genetic risk factors. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2003;25:866–77.
- Seshadri S, et al. Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for dementia and alzheimer’s disease. N Engl J Med 2002;346:4.
