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Folate reduces elevated blood levels of homocysteine, which have been associated in some studies with age-related cognitive decline. Can folate supplementation slow such cognitive loss? Studies have produced mixed results.
Researchers in the Netherlands randomized 819 people (age range, 50–70) with elevated homocysteine levels (at least 13 μmol/L) to take either placebo or 0.8 mg of folic acid daily. (At entry, only 7 participants showed signs of early dementia on the Mini-Mental State Examination.) At baseline and after 3 years, all participants underwent sensitive tests of cognitive function.
After 3 years, homocysteine levels were significantly lower in the folic acid group than in the placebo group. Both groups declined in information-pro…