LEIDEN, The Netherlands--High levels of homocysteine and low levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid are present in patients with dementia, but do not appear to be related to risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition(82, 4:866-871, 2005).
The prospective, population-based, longitudinal Leiden 85-Plus study involved 599 subjects aged 85 years, who were administered a battery of cognitive tests--including the Mini Mental State Examination, the Stroop test, a letter digit coding test and a word recall test--annually for four years. Researchers measured serum concentrations of homocysteine, B12 and folic acid at the study onset and after four years, assessing the association between baseline serum concentrations and subsequent longitudinal cognitive decline. They found homocysteine and folic acid levels were associated with decreased cognitive performance, but none were associated with the rate of cognitive decline. They concluded low B12 and folic acid levels, along with high homocysteine levels, are associated with cognitive decline in the elderly but cannot predict such decline; thus, these serum concentration trends are likely a consequence of disease, not a contributory cause.
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