High Homocysteine Tied to Lower Mental Ability

Although not mentioned in this article, elevated homocysteine is a
potent independent cardiovascular risk factor that correlates well with
the presence and severity of coronary artery disease.

Frankie

High Homocysteine Tied to Lower Mental Ability

MedlinePlus Newsletter article

Reuters Health Information
By Megan Rauscher

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In older people, higher blood levels of
homocysteine are associated with lower mental functioning, new data
indicate.

Homocysteine, an amino acid that has been tied to heart disease and
stroke, can be lowered with folate and vitamins B6 and B12. The latest
finding suggests to researchers that B vitamin supplements may help
prevent homocysteine-related cognitive decline.

"My concern," Dr. Merrill F. Elias of Boston University told Reuters
Health, "is that many physicians still do not routinely include
homocysteine determinations as part of the physical examination."

The latest data come from the Framingham Offspring Study, the ongoing
survey that's tracking the health of successive generations living in
the Massachusetts community.

For people over age 60, Elias and his colleagues report in the American
Journal of Epidemiology, increasing levels of total homocysteine in the
blood were associated with decreasing levels of cognitive performance
in several areas.

"None of the individuals in the study had experienced stroke and none
were demented, but multiple cognitive abilities were adversely affected
by increasing levels of homocysteine," Elias said.

"Most importantly," he added, "none of the relations observed were seen
for persons under 60 years of age, suggesting that interventions to
lower homocysteine early in the adult life span could prevent even
modest cognitive deficit related to higher levels of homocysteine."

It is also noteworthy, Elias said, that high vitamin B12 levels
correlated with better cognitive performance.

Results of ongoing clinical trials, the researcher added, "hold much
promise that treatment with folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 may
result in lowering of homocysteine."

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, October 1, 2005.

URL of this page:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_27272.html
(*this news item will not be available after 11/03/2005)

.

Relevant Pages
Loading