Research paper
Homocysteine-Lowering by B Vitamins Slows the Rate of Accelerated Brain Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study answer
What this study found
Homocysteine-lowering B vitamins slowed brain atrophy in mild cognitive impairment. Annual brain atrophy was 0.76% [95% CI, 0.63-0.90] with B vitamins versus 1.08% [0.94-1.22] with placebo (P = 0.001), and after age adjustment it remained lower at 0.78% versus 1.07% (P = 0.003). In the biologically compliant subset (n = 136), atrophy was 0.73% versus 1.06% (P = 0.004), while noncompliant participants (n = 31) showed no difference (P = 1.00). The active group also showed marked biomarker responses, with plasma folate increasing by nearly 270%, vitamin B12 doubling, and plasma total…
- Study & population
- Randomized controlled trial in older adults over 70 years with mild cognitive impairment recruited in the Oxford area, United Kingdom.
- Intervention
- Participants received an oral B-vitamin combination for 24 months: folic acid 0.8 mg, vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 0.5 mg, and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine HCl) 20 mg once daily.
- Key limitation
- The main clinical outcome was brain atrophy rather than dementia progression, and cognitive outcomes were not the primary focus.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Background An increased rate of brain atrophy is often observed in older subjects, in particular those who suffer from cognitive decline. Homocysteine is a risk factor for brain atrophy, cognitive impairment and dementia. Plasma concentrations of hom…