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Brain and Memory Health Depend on Folate and Vitamin B-12
Recent research has confirmed that vitamin B-12 and Folate are critical for brain health, maintenance of cognitive function and a healthy memory.
Deficiencies of Vitamin B-12 and Folate are markers leading down the road to cognitive decline, Alzheimer's Disease, and stroke.
In January of 2008 a study published in Neurobiology and Aging reported that accumulation of homocysteine (an amino acid found in the bloodstream) was a factor in poor memory and brain health.
In a different study, it was found that low blood folate and elevated homocysteine levels are associated with poor brain function. Folic acid enhances blood levels of DHA and EPA (essential omega-3 fatty acids) which is benefcial for healthy brain functioning.
In an edition of Stroke, published in the autumn of 2007, a research report found that low vitamin B-12 plasma levels, specifically in combination with low folate levels, increased the risk of cerebral ischemia.
Deficiency of folate can result in decreased synthesis of methionine and buildup of homocysteine, which may be a risk factor for heart disease as well as poor brain functioning. The amount of homocysteine in the blood is regulated by vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 as well as folate.
Folate deficiency can be caused by poor diet, but can be also caused by taking certain medications.
The alert for Folate deficiency is rising homocysteine levels. Progression continues as anemia which leads to a decreased ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Often symptoms of fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath will occur. This type of anemia may also result from vitamin B-12 deficiency.
More than 80 studies have shown that even moderately elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. While on the other hand, folate-rich diets have been linked to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Of the three vitamins that regulate homocysteine levels, folic acid has been shown to have the greatest effect in lowering basal levels of homocysteine in the blood when no deficiency of vitamin B-12 or vitamin B-6 is present.
Fruits and vegetables are a great source of folate, specifically green leafy vegetables as well as fruit juices, legumes, barley, bran, brewer's yeast, brown rice, cheese, dates, lentils wheat germ, whole grains and whole wheat. Folate from foods and folic acid supplements have been shown to be associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer and is available in single ingredient and combination products such as B-complex vitamins. The typical dose is 400 mcg.
Research subjects with low serum folate levels were more likely to have dementia, be institutionalized, and be depressed. Low folate levels were also associated with increased likelihood of short-term memory problems in the elderly.
Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 deficiency results in impairment of the activities of B-12 requiring enzymes.
The neurologic symptoms of a vitamin B-12 deficiency include tingling of the legs or arms, numbness, difficulty walking, memory loss, disorientation, and dementia. Tongue soreness, appetite loss, and constipation are also associated with vitamin B-12 deficiency.
Studies have shown that people with Alzheimer's disease often have low blood levels of vitamin B-12. They have also documented as many as 30% of patients hospitalized for depression were deficient in vitamin B-12. A study of 700 women over the age of 65 found that those deficient in B-12 were twice as likely to be severely depressed.
