Durga et al. Effects of folic acid supplementation on hearing in older adults: a randomized, double blind, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:1-9.
Effect of 3-year folic acid supplementation on cognitive function in older adults in the FACIT trial: a randomised, double blind, controlled trial. The Lancet. 2007; 369:208-216.
Cognitive functions decline with age due to higher levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. This can lead to dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease.
Folic acid has long been known for its role in the prevention of neural-tube defects in newborns. However, recent research demonstrates that vitamin B shows promise on the other end of the age spectrum. These researchers conducted an examination of the effect of folic acid on cognitive function in the elderly. In the study, 818 people, 50 to 70 years of age, were either given an 800 mcg folic acid supplement or a placebo over 3 years. All participants had high homocysteine levels and low folate levels at the beginning of the study. At the study's conclusion, the people who received the folic acid supplements showed increased folate levels of 576%, and decreased homocysteine levels of 26%. They also showed vast improvement in memory function and the speed of information processing. In addition, they had a higher decline of hearing loss over time than the placebo group.