Folic Acid Resurgent

In March of last year I posted an article saying that trying to lower homocysteine was hopeless. Taking folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, although lowering homocysteine levels, failed to prevent or slow cardiovascular disease. Now a new publication in the Archives of Neurology has shown that there is an association between higher folate intake and the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the Taub Institute at Columbia, New York, followed almost 1000 people over 65 for an average of six years after administration of a food frequency questionnaire. Based on the questionnaire answers, they calculated the dietary and supplement intake of folate, B6 and B12. During the six years that were 190 cases of Alzheimer's reported. Those participants taking the most folate had half the risk of developing Alzheimer's, after adjustments had been made for age, sex, educational level, ethnic group, genetic makeup, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, heart disease, stroke, and vitamins B6 and B12 levels. Vitamin B6 and B12 intakes were not related to the risk of Alzheimer's.

Interestingly, neither dietary folate nor oral supplements alone were significantly linked to the risk; only the two in combination appeared to have a protective effect. And the higher folate intake was associated with lower homocysteine blood levels.

These findings are contrary to those found for folic acid and the two B vitamins in relation to cardiovascular diseases. They demonstrate the difficulties inherent in this type of research. The next step is obviously a well-controlled prospective study in elderly volunteers, done in a clinical research setting. A study like this bristles with difficulties, and is unlikely to receive the necessary funding. So our advice remains: eat leafy green vegetables, legumes, fruits, grains, and fortified cereals in sufficent quantities to ensure a high intake of folate and do all the other things necessary to try to avoid Alzheimer's. These include keeping a healthy blood pressure, and body weight, and maintaining a high level of physical, mental and social activity.

Comments

[Michael Roberts]

Vitamin B12 is also known as Cobalamin and was the last B vitamin to be identified. It plays a vital part in the manufacture of red blood cells, which are needed to carry oxygen round the body. Cobalamin is also needed for a healthy nervous system. Deficiency can lead to pernicious anaemia,extreme fatigue,and neurological symptoms such as forgetfulness,dizziness,tingling and loss of co-ordination.Vitamin b12 supplements should not normally be needed, if you follow a normal healthy diet.