Folic Acid Articles
Cognitive Decline In Old Age May
Slow With Folic Acid Intake
Folic Acid May Slow Mental Decline
High Rate of Heart Disease in CEE May Be Due To Lack of Folate & Carotenoids
Folic Acid Cuts Children's Cancer
Multivitamins May Reduce Risk Of Colon Cancer
Folic Acid Deficiency May Be
Related To Parkinson's Disease
Folic Acid Reduces Cardiovascular Risks
Folate Helps Cut Risk of Colorectal Cancer
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Cognitive Decline In Old Age May Slow With Folic Acid Intake
A Dutch study says that older people taking folic acid supplementation had improved memory and ability to process information, as well as a slower rate of age-related cognitive decline.
"In 818 older adults, daily oral folic acid supplementation for three years beneficially affected global cognitive function, and specifically memory, and information processing: functions that are sensitive to aging," stated lead author Jane Durga.
Cognitive performance declines naturally with age, but the results of Folic Acid and Carotid Intima-media Thickness (FACIT) trial suggests that this could be slowed by folic acid supplementation.
This study, reported in The Lancet, randomly assigned the subjects between the ages of 50 and 70 to receive either a folic acid supplement (800 micrograms per day, Swiss-Caps Benelux) or a placebo for three years.
The focus of the research was on older men and women with average plasma total homocysteine concentrations of 13 micromoles per litre or more and vitamin B12 levels of at least 200 picomoles per litre.
Normal homocysteine levels are defined as between five and 15 micromoles per litre of blood, placing the study participants at the upper end of the 'normal' bracket.
Cognitive function was assessed using a battery of tests, including the word learning test, concept shifting test, stroop colour-word test, verbal fluency test, and the letter digit substitution test. Although not used for the study outcome, the researchers did use the mini-mental state examination to screen for possible dementia.
The researchers from Wageningen University and Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences, and University Hospital Maastricht, report: "Three-year folic acid supplementation confers an individual the performance of someone 4.7 years younger for memory, 1.7 years younger for sensorimotor speed, 2.1 years younger for information processing speed, and 1.5 years younger for global cognitive function."
They also report that delayed recall for the folic acid supplemented group was similar to a performance of someone 6.9 years younger.
"We have shown that 3-year folic acid supplementation improves performance on tests that measure information processing speed and memory, domains that are known to decline with age. [Our study was conducted] in older adults with raised total homocysteine concentrations," said Durga and the other researchers.
The authors note a couple of limitations, including focusing on individuals with slightly raised levels of the amino acid homocysteine, previously linked to an increase in cognitive decline and dementia.
"Thus, the effect of folic acid supplementation might be greater than would be expected in populations with lower plasma total homocysteine concentrations - eg. in countries such as the USA, with mandated fortification of flour with folic acid," they said.
They also note that all of the participants had sufficient levels of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency causes a form of anemia in elderly people, and can cause dementia.
"Will folic acid supplementation lead to a reduced incidence of dementia?" asked Durga.
"Although folic acid improved performance on tests of memory, including delayed recall, additional research is needed to determine whether folic acid supplementation can reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease," she said.
The Lancet, January 20, 2007, Volume 369, Pages 208-215
"Effects of 3-year Folic Acid Supplementation on cognitive function in older adults in the FACIT trial: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial"
Authors: J. Durga, P.J. van Boxtel, E.G. Schouten, F.J. Kok, J. Jolles, M.B. Katan, and P. Verhoef
www.nutraingredients.com
January 2007
Folic Acid May Slow Mental Decline
Dutch scientists reported that taking large amounts of folic acid improved the memory of older adults. This is the first study to show a vitamin pill might slow the mental decline of aging.
The research adds to mounting evidence that a diet higher in folate is important for a variety of health effects and diseases. Folate, a B vitamin found in grains and certain dark-colored fruits and vegetables, is proven to lower women's risk of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, and some research suggests it helps fight off heart disease and strokes, too.
Decline in brain function is inevitable as we age and the Dutch study tested whether otherwise healthy people could slow that brain decline by taking double the recommended daily U.S. dose of folic acid, which would be the amount in 2.5 pounds of strawberries.
The study divided 818 people ages 50 to 75 to take either a vitamin containing 800 micrograms of folic acid a day, or a placebo, for three years.
Lead researcher, Jane Durga of Wageningen University, reported at a meeting of the Alzheimer's Association, that the folic acid protected users' brains.
On memory tests, the supplement users had scores comparable to people 5.5 years younger, Durga said. On tests of cognitive speed, the folic acid helped users perform as well as people 1.9 years younger.
Durga said that the study involved healthy older people, not those with Alzheimer's symptoms, so it doesn't show if folic acid might ward off that disease and that's a key question.
Still, folic acid offered significant brain protection, said Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist Marilyn Albert, who chairs the Alzheimer's Association's science advisory council.
Scientists have long thought that folic acid might play a role in dementia. Previous studies have shown people with low folate levels are more at risk for both heart disease and diminished cognitive function; clogged arteries slow blood flow in the brain.
Albert said, "We know Alzheimer's disease, the pathology, begins many, many years before the symptoms. We ought to be thinking about the health of our brain the same way we think about the health of our heart."
Folate is found in such foods as oranges and strawberries, dark green leafy vegetables and beans. In the United States, it also is added to cereal and flour products. The recommended daily dose here is 400 micrograms; doctors advise women of childbearing age to take a supplement to ensure they get that much.
"It's not clear how folic acid might work to protect the brain. Some studies suggest folate lowers inflammation; others suggest it may play a role in expression of dementia-related genes," Durga said.
7/7/2005
Euronutrition News
High Rate of Heart Disease in CEE May Be Due To Lack of Folate & Carotenoids
A dramatic increase in heart disease in Central and Eastern Europe is responsible for the strong decline in life expectancy in this region, writes the team from the US-based Oregon Health and Science University in this month's issue of the Journal of American Dietetic Association.
However, traditional risk factors like smoking, obesity and high dietary saturated fat do not explain this escalation.
Data used from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the researchers assessed food consumption in 19 different countries grouped into four regions based on their cultural patterns - Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the US, Mediterranean countries and Asia.
Death from heart disease in the CEE countries - Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania and the Russian Federation - was six to seven times higher than in Japan, three to four times higher than in the Mediterranean countries, like France, Spain and Greece, and one and a half times higher than Western Europe.
Backward elimination multiple regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of mortality. Intake of folate, fibre and omega-6 and -3 fatty acids played a major role in the variation in coronary mortality, shows the study, but folate played the greatest role.
A lack of the B vitamin has been linked to raised levels of the heart disease risk marker homocysteine.
Folate was however intercorrelated with the carotenoids lutein/zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. "All three nutrients tend to be present in the same foods derived from plants; they could even play a synergistic role in the protection against heart disease," note the researchers.
Indeed the researchers point to the 'unique situation' of Poland in this region - it has low coronary mortality and high intake of folate and other protective nutrients. This suggests that an increase in such foods in other countries could prove beneficial.
While heart disease cannot be explained solely by diet, it may have had a significant impact on lives already, according to the scientists.
"The terrible toll from sudden death that is particularly striking in men aged 30 to 50 years [in Central and Eastern Europe] is likely the result of a combination of factors."
"Still, the diets in these countries that are high in pathogenic dietary factors and low in protective dietary factors, especially folate and carotenoids, may help explain the very high death rate from coronary disease in both men and women in Central and Eastern Europe."
Journal of American Dietetic Association (vol 104, issue 12, pp1793-9).
Nutraingredients.com
Folic Acid Cuts Children's Cancer
Big Drop Seen in Deadly Childhood Cancer Since Vitamin Added to Flour
Folic acid can prevent the horrible birth defect called spina bifida. It also can prevent a deadly childhood cancer, Canadian researchers report.
"This is the first [children's] cancer that can be prevented through [the mother's] diet," says Gideon Koren, MD, in a news release. Koren led the study, which appears in the September 2003 issue of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
Folic Acid and a Killer Cancer
If a woman of childbearing age doesn't get enough folic acid -- a B vitamin -- her baby risks neural tube defects. The most common of these is spina bifida, a leading cause of childhood paralysis in which the spinal cord is exposed. That's why folic acid is added to flour. It's been the law in the U.S. since 1998 and in Canada since 1997.
Since then, doctors at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto noticed they were seeing fewer cases of an awful cancer. It's called neuroblastoma. Children are born with seeds of the tumor, but it doesn't become obvious until they are 1 to 4 years old. By then, it's often too late. It's the most deadly kind of cancer for children in this age group.
Sure enough, Koren's team found that neuroblastoma rates dropped by 60% since folic acid was added to flour.
The study raises the exciting possibility that folic acid might be used to treat neuroblastoma. Koren, director of HCS's Motherisk Program and professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto, says he's planning a study.
A new treatment would be welcome. Neuroblastoma tumors begin in specialized nerve cells. They don't start in the brain, but they often start in the chest or belly. That makes them very hard to find until they spread -- and once that happens, they're hard to cure.
A Message to Women
Once you know you're pregnant, it's too late to start taking folic acid. Neural tube defects such as spina bifida happen in the very first weeks of pregnancy. That's why all women who might become pregnant should be sure to get enough folic acid. Women of childbearing age should consume 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily both before pregnancy and during the first trimester of pregnancy as recommended by the CDC.
Sure, it's in the flour. But to make sure you get enough, it's wise to eat foods rich in folate (another word for folic acid). These foods include:
- Vegetables, especially dark-green leafy vegetables such as spinach. A half-cup contains about 131 mcg.
- Fruits, particularly citrus. A 6 oz cup of orange juice contains about 82 mcg.
- Beans. A half-cup of garbanzo beans contains about 141 mcg. A half-cup of lentils contains 179 mcg.
- Whole grains
- Fortified breakfast cereals. One cup contains 200-400 mcg.
And just to be sure, it can't hurt to take a vitamin supplement that includes folic acid.
WebMD Medical News
Sept. 29, 2003
SOURCES: Koren, G. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, September 2003; vol 74: pp 288-294. Center for Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, National Institutes of Health. News release, University of Toronto. Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center.
Multivitamins May Reduce Risk Of Colon Cancer
Using data from the Nurses' Health Study, a team of researchers found that women who took multivitamins containing 400 mcg or more of folic acid each day reduced their risk of developing inherited colon cancer by nearly 50%.
The researchers tracked the health of 88,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study by analyzing responses to questionnaires about the women's diet and lifestyle. Women who had a family history of colon cancer were twice as likely to get the condition compared with women without a family history of the disease.
According to the researchers, "the influence of family history was markedly diminished by use of multivitamins containing folic acid." The researchers also found that the protection afforded by taking folic acid increased over time, with women who took multivitamins containing folic acid for at least five years lowering their risk of developing colon cancer to that of the general population.
"Our results suggest that higher intake of folate and methionine, regular use of vitamins containing folate, and avoidance of moderate to heavy alcohol consumption may diminish the excess risk of colon cancer associated with a family history of the disease," the researchers wrote in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention.
Source: C. Fuchs et al., "The Influence of Folate and Multivitamin Use on the Familial Risk of Colon Cancer in Women," Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, 11 (March 2002):227-234
Folic Acid Deficiency May Be Related To Parkinson's Disease
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health's (Bethesda, MD) National Institute on Aging (NIA) believe that a deficiency of folic acid could make animals more susceptible to Parkinson's Disease.
The NIA researchers discovered the link after conducting an experiment in which they fed one group of mice a diet containing folate and another group a diet that lacked the vitamin.
After administering a chemical to the mice that causes Parkinson's-like symptoms, the researchers found that the mice that received folate developed only mild Parkinson's symptoms. In contrast, the mice that did not receive the vitamin developed serious Parkinson's symptoms.
Moreover, the scientists found that mice with low dietary amounts of folic acid had higher levels of homocysteine, which may have damaged the DNA of nerve cells in dopamine-producing structures of the brain.
"This is the first direct evidence that folic acid may have a key role in protecting adult nerve cells against age-related disease," wrote Mark Mattson, PhD, chief of the NIA's Laboratory of Neurosciences.
Source: National Institute on Aging, "Mouse Experiments Link Folic Acid Deficiency to Parkinson's Disease," Journal of Neurochemistry, 80 (January 2002): 101-110.
Folic Acid Reduces Cardiovascular Risks
Research experts now believe that folic acid supplements reduce the risk of cardiac disease in patients, especially those with a family history of heart disease, or patients with high cholesterol.
Folic acid is a B vitamin. Double blind studies of folic acid and placebo were used in patients in a Dutch study. The patients on folic acid were found to have lower levels of amino acid homocysteine. Researchers sought to find the effect of folic acid on blood vessels. The group that took folic acid were found to have increased arterial dilation and increased flexibility, which is thought to decrease the incidence of hardening of the arteries, and lessen hypertension, generally maintaining cardiovascular health and function.
Journal of the American Heart Association
July, 1999
Folate Helps Cut Risk of Colorectal Cancer
The secret to preventing colon cancer, many experts have said, is a diet high in fiber. But recent studies dispute this notion. Now researchers are singing the praises of folate, sometimes known as vitamin B9.
Recent studies
Most of the news in the past few years about getting enough folate has focused on promoting healthy fetal development and preventing cardiovascular disease. Now researchers are finding that higher intake of folate helps cut the risk of colorectal cancer.
Women and men benefit
Meir Stampfer, chairman of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, and collaborator Edward Giovannucci tracked 121,700 women in the national Nurses' Health Study between 1976 and 1994. Researchers found that women who consumed more than 400 micrograms, or mcg, of folate daily, for 15 years or more had only one-quarter the likelihood of developing colorectal cancer as those who got less than 200 mcg a day of the vitamin.
Eric Goosenberg, director of Nutrition Support Services at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, cites comparable results from the massive Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a survey of 43,757 men taken between 1986 and 1994.
Key Factor
Strong evidence shows folate can also lower the risk of developing colorectal polyps, from which colon cancers most often derive. Joel Mason is director of the Vitamins and Carcinogenesis Program of the Jean Meyer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University. He discussed recent findings at the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition iin mid-October. High intake of folate helps bolster healthy replication of genes, some studies show. This is a key factor in preventing the development of polyps.
Folate-rich foods
How do you increase folate intake? Eating liver is your best bet. Other good food sources include lentil, navy, pinto, kidney and black beans. Chick peas and sunflower seeds boost folate intake. Wheat germ and brewer's yeast also are very good choices. Dark, leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale and chard contain lots of folate, too. In addition, since January 1998 all enriched cereals, breads, pastas and flours by law (in the US) must be fortified with 140 mcg of folate per 3.5 ounce serving.
Supplement
If you consume less than the daily recommended 400 mcg of folate, consider vitamin supplements, Stampfer says. Research shows that decreases in the risk of colon cancer are often more apparent with supplements. The reason? Only about half the folate in foods is usable by the body. And cooking and processing foods destroys as much as 90% of their folate content. Also, beware of substances that can interfere with folate absorption. Steer away from alcohol, tobacco, antacids and estrogen replacement drugs
By Glenn Garelik, Investor's Business Daily, USA. |
