Article Index > Vitamins & Supplements A-Z > Vitamin B

Memory declines with age, and low levels of folic acid and vitamin B12 can accelerate this process, raising the chances for dementia.

Doctors said there is a link between late-life stress and poor memory, and they wanted to see if taking folic acid and vitamin B12 over the long term could prevent cognitive decline.

In this study, 900 independently living adults, aged 60 to 74, with psychological distress, took 400 mcg of folic acid plus 100 mcg of vitamin B12 per day or a placebo.

After two years, compared to placebo, those who had taken folic acid and vitamin B12 had better memory test scores for immediate recall and delayed recall.

Reference: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 2012 Jan; Vol. 95, No. 1, 194-203

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---