Lack of Folate linked to tripled risk of dementia | Arthritis Information

Lack of folate, also called vitamin B-9, may triple the risk of developing dementia in old age, according to a study published Tuesday.

Researchers in South Korea measured naturally occurring folate levels in 518 elderly persons, none of whom showed any signs of dementia, and then tracked their development over 2.4 years.

At the end of the period, 45 of the patients had developed dementia, including 34 diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, said the study, published by the British Medical Association's Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

When the researchers, led by Jin-Sang Yoon of Chonnam National University in Kwangju, South Korea, remeasured folate levels, they uncovered a strong link with the dementia.

Even after other factors were taken into account -- including age, disability, alcohol consumption, weight change -- "the onset of dementia was significantly associated with an exaggerated decline in folate," the researchers concluded.

Folate and folic acid, another form of the compound, are essential for the creation of new cells in the body.

The compound occurs naturally in leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, lettuces, dried beans and peas and in certain fruits.

An study published last year in The Lancet showed an improvement in short-term memory, mental agility and verbal fluency among persons over 50 who took a daily dose of 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid. The US recommended daily dose is 400 mcg.

Taking folic acid before conception and throughout the first trimester helps a mother ensure that her child will not develop certain brain and spinal cord defects, including spina bifida, according to previous research.

Lynn492008-02-06 10:20:23Lynn, as well you know, folic acid is in many of the foods we eat. Women trying to get pregnant are routinely placed on folic acid to avoid neural tube defects.

Most of us are not trying to get pregnant.

The question is...is folic acid implicated or not implicated in the inflammation cascade. The jury is still out.

They used to think gold shots were good for us. Now, they don't (unless nothing else has worked.)

I just find it so absolutely appalling that you are so pro-med, pro-doctor, and pro-Pharma that you immediately go out an post the first 'main-line' piece you can find.

Isn't that why you got on the Pro-Vitamin D bandwagon? I mean, you never posted anything pro-D until you figured out that some APers question the logic behind mega dosing.

You are not helping anybody. You are only the voice of 'the system'.

And the system is failing a lot of us.

Pip

[QUOTE=Pip!] Well, to be a big buttinski, Lynn, it does seem like you come here to post whatever you can find contrary to what Pip posts, and nothing else. I suspect you have a chip on your shoulder.

I know you'll say "everyone has a right to their own opinion" like you always do, even when it doesn't make sense in the context you're saying it and you're actually not expressing an opinion, so what is your opinion? THAT you have not shared.

Pip is doing great with her agenda---why is that such a big problem to you? Why must you spend so much time and energy trying to discredit her?
I use 2 kinds of birth control so I won't get pregnant on MTX. [QUOTE=Gimpy-a-gogo]I use 2 kinds of birth control so I won't get pregnant on MTX. [/QUOTE]

My point is... there are those of us who are neither seeking nor avoiding pregnancy... if it happens, it happens.

My mother was born with spina bifida and she's had problems all her life.
JR, I hear you, but I think that would be a bit of a roulette if one is on certain drugs known to cause birth defects. [QUOTE=Gimpy-a-gogo]JR, I hear you, but I think that would be a bit of a roulette if one is on certain drugs known to cause birth defects. [/QUOTE]

I'm not denying that. But not everyone is on those meds.

I believe folic acid, like most other stuff out there (including water!), undoubtedly has a range of safe and effective intake values. Get too much, it causes problems; get too little, and that, too, can cause problems. I imagine that many modern human diets do not supply all the folate we really need.

My PROBLEM is she has a problem with even discussing this stuff. We're not dummies and we can take of leave anything posted here.

Jasmine -

yea, but a lot of us are on meds that can harm a fetus. No pregnancy with Minocin either. But, maybe if the possibility is there...maybe get a prenatal vitamin, know what I mean? Then it's formulated correctly for everything a woman needs in pregnancy. Supposedly, not to much and not too little.

Pip

JUst for the record, I currently have no opinion on folic acid, although I do take 5mg 6 times a week. [QUOTE=Pip!]

Thanks Go-Go - we can expect a slew of pro-folic acid articles in the near future. Nor am I denying that there is a HUGE body of evidence on the benefits of folic acid. Even my AP doc isn't convinced it's a problem. I'm not convinced its a problem. I just said I'd seen research that made me question it.

Same here.

;-)

Pip