Vitamin B And Folate Combo Doesn't Sharpen The Mind
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Older people at higher risk of dementia do not benefit from a combination of vitamin B and folate, say researchers from the University of Otabo, Dunedin, New Zealand. Even after two years of taking the vitamins daily, volunteers did not better in cognitive tests than those who were given a placebo. All the participants had high levels of homocysteine, which is associated with a higher risk of dementia and low cognitive performance. Their homocysteine levels, at 16 µmol/L, were not quite high enough for dementia and/or cognitive impairment. In other words, none of the participants had dementia or cognitive impairment. They were all over 65, half of them had university degress. You can read about this study in the New England Journal of Medicine, 29 June, 2006. There were 276 participants in this study. Half took a placebo, while the other half were given 1,000 µg folate, 500 µg vitamin B12, and 10 mg vitamin B6. The researchers had expected homocysteine levels to lower after two years on the vitamin combination. Six months into the study those in the treatment group saw their homocysteine levels go down to 4.23 µmol/L, and stayed down throughout the two years. However, after comprehensive cognitive tests were carried out at the end of the two years, no difference was identified between the two groups. In some parts of the test - Part B of the Reitan Trail Making Test, say the researchers, the treatment group did worse than the placebo group. This part of the test measures the speed at which a person processes information. The researchers concluded that lowering homocysteine levels does not improve cognition in people with high homocysteine levels but without dementia or poor cognitive skills. They added that it would be interesting to find out whether the vitamin combinations may have offered any benefit for patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. New England Journal of Medicine.

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