folic acid and B vitamins - more evidence to support us lifestyle food cultists

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2007/01/19/hscout601131.html

Folic Acid Boosts Cognition in Older Adults
01.19.07, 12:00 AM ET

FRIDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Dutch researchers have added
another chapter to the continuing debate over whether folic acid
supplements can sharpen the aging mind. Their conclusion: The nutrient
does improve cognitive function in older adults.
Previous studies on the subject have been split, although most have
suggested that folic acid supplementation in people with high levels of
the amino acid homocysteine in the blood helps with cognitive function.
Higher homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk for
cardiovascular disease and stroke and possibly also Alzheimer's
disease.

The new study, published in the Jan. 20 issue of The Lancet, adds to
the growing impression that adding folic acid can help brain
functioning, at least in certain groups of people.

"We can certainly take away that folate is going to be beneficial for
cognitive improvement when you have high homocysteine levels," said
Maria Carrillo, director of medical and scientific relations at the
Alzheimer's Association.

"This underscores the importance of B vitamins," added Richard Finnell,
Regents Professor in the Center for Environmental and Genetic Medicine
at Texas A&M's Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences and
Technology at Houston. "They do more than protect babies against birth
defects."

Folic acid, or folate, is a B vitamin probably best known for its role
in helping to prevent neural-tube defects in newborns.

But folic acid also has several other functions: It helps the body
digest and utilize proteins and to synthesize new proteins when they
are needed; it's essential for the production of red blood cells and
the synthesis of DNA; it helps with tissue growth and cell function; it
helps to increase appetite when needed; and it stimulates the formation
of digestive acids.

Food sources of folate include beans and legumes; citrus fruits and
juices; wheat bran and other whole grains; dark, green leafy
vegetables; poultry; pork; shellfish and liver, according to the
National Institutes of Health.

Cognitive function, especially areas such as information processing
speed and memory, decline with age. These cognitive changes have been
linked to a risk of dementia.

For this study, first reported at the Alzheimer's Association's 2005
prevention conference, researchers randomly assigned 818 older adults
in Holland, aged 50 to 70 years old, to receive 800 micrograms of folic
acid supplementation daily or a placebo for three years.

All participants had low folate levels, as evidenced by elevated
homocysteine concentrations.

Adults who received the folic acid supplementation had improved
cognitive functioning, especially in the areas of memory and
information processing speed. What's more, folate concentration
increased 576 percent in those getting the supplements, and
homocysteine levels fell 26 percent.

"Folate can help people with high homocysteine levels," Carrillo
confirmed. "This is in line with what we have been thinking."

The same Dutch researchers, reporting in the Jan. 2 issue of the Annals
of Internal Medicine, found that people who took a folic acid
supplement had less decline in hearing low-frequency sounds over time,
compared with people who didn't take the supplement.

More information

The National Institute on Aging has more on aging and dietary
supplements, including vitamins and minerals.

*************

Real nutrition leads to real health.

TC

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