Folic Acid & B-12 may improve cognition in 6 mos in MCI/AD

[NF52]

Another small study out of China that suggests folic acid and B-12 may be a low-cost, high-impact intervention for those with MCI and AD who do not have adequate levels on testing. Since these were people "diagnosed clinically as probable AD" without imaging, it supports the idea that AD is heterogeneous disease with many upstream factors that can be targeted in public health interventions:

Objectives: To evaluate the combined action of folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation on cognitive performance and inflammation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Design: This was a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Participants: Patients (n=120) diagnosed clinically as probable AD and in stable condition from Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Measurements: Individuals were randomly divided into the intervention group (n=60, folic acid 1.2 mg/d + vitamin B12 50 μg/d) and the placebo group (n=60). Cognitive performance, blood folate, vitamin B12, one carbon cycle metabolite, and inflammatory cytokine levels were measured at baseline and after 6 months. The data were analyzed using linear mixed models for repeated measures.
Results: A total of 101 participants (51 in the intervention group and 50 in the placebo group) completed the trial. Folic acid plus vitamin B12 supplementation had a beneficial effect on the MoCA total scores (P=0.029), naming scores (P=0.013), orientation scores (P=0.004), and ADAS-Cog domain score of attention (P=0.008), as compared to those of the control subjects. Moreover, supplementation significantly increased plasma SAM (P<0.001) and SAM/SAH (P<0.001), and significantly decreased the levels of serum Hcy (P<0.001), plasma SAH (P<0.001), and serum TNFα (P<0.001) compared to in the control subjects. Conclusions: Folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation showed a positive therapeutic effect in AD patients who were not on a folic acid-fortified diet. The findings of this study help to delineate nutrient intervention as far as public health management for the prevention of dementia is concerned.

CITATION:
H. Chen ; S. Liu ; B. Ge ; D. Zhou ; M. Li ; W. Li ; F. Ma ; Z. Liu ; Y. Ji3 ; G. Huang (2021): Effects of Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 Supplementation on Cognitive Impairment and Inflammation in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized, Single-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (JPAD). http://dx.doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2021.22