Too low levels of folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, could be associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Today a large study conducted by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai delves into the subject by studying the data of a large sample of people over 60 years old.
The participants showed a possible statistical association between folic acid deficiency and dementia, as well as the risk of death from all causes. The research did not identify a causal relationship but only statistical and confirms the evidence of some previous investigations. The results are published on Evidence Based Mental Healthmagazine of the group of the British Medical Journal (Bmj).
Folic acid and dementia, there is a link
The researchers looked at the data of nearly 30,000 people, ages 60 to 75, who had not previously had dementia, analyzed the concentration of folic acid in their blood, and monitored their health for about 5 years after the test. The scientists also evaluated and excluded the weight of any factors that could influence the results, such as the presence of diabetes, depression, vitamin B12 deficiency, smoking and the possible intake of folic acid supplements.
The results indicate that a deficiency in this component – that is, the presence of an amount below 4.4 nanograms per ml – was associated with a higher, and substantially increased, risk of developing a form of dementia. The incidence rate of neurodegenerative disease was nearly double in the vitamin B9 deficient group compared to the other group. The incidence of all-cause deaths was also higher in the low folic acid population.
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Research suggests that this component may be a biomarker of aging and some related diseases. The study cannot exclude, however, that the decrease in B9 is instead an effect of the disease, therefore a consequence rather than a risk factor: this is because dementias can have a very long preclinical phase, i.e. a period in which the disorder is already present but the symptoms have not manifested (or not clearly). Further insights will be needed to better understand the dynamics, as the authors clarify.
Attention also to homocysteine
“The study is interesting,” he comments Gianfranco Spalletta, psychiatrist and Head of the Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementias at the Santa Lucia Irccs Foundation in Rome, who is not involved in the work, “and relevant, from an epidemiological point of view, since it analyzes a rather large sample”. The connection between the cited parameters was already examined in the clinical setting and highlighted by some tests. “In many cases too low levels of folic acid are closely linked to an increase in homocysteine”, continues Spalletta, “an amino acid present in very small quantities in our body. An excess of homocysteine can lead to damage to the walls of blood vessels. , with the growing risk of numerous pathologies, including dementia “.
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The importance of prevention
In the elderly, intestinal absorption of folic acid can be reduced leading to a deficiency. “In the study under examination, almost 13% of the participants over 60 years of age had a deficiency”, adds the expert, “a relevant fact that must pay attention to this element”. Especially in the elderly it is important to measure both folic acid and homocysteine, to prevent cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases. “Simple blood tests of these 2 parameters can allow you to start supplementation with folic acid early”, Spalletta specifies, “and lower the likelihood of developing pathologies. It would be good to carry out a timely investigation, when the person begins to report symptoms also mitigated by cognitive decline. Furthermore, for those familiar with forms of dementia it is advisable to start taking the test very early, even at 40 years of age “. Remembering that prevention is the main weapon to counter these disorders.