Low-dose folic acid supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine concentrations: a randomized trial.

What this study found

Low-dose folic acid improved folate status and lowered plasma total homocysteine, with a larger effect at 500 micrograms/day than at 250 micrograms/day. During the 4-week intervention, homocysteine fell by 21.8% in the 500 micrograms/day group and 11.4% in the 250 micrograms/day group, versus -0.8% with placebo. Plasma folate rose from 11 to 27 nmol/L in the 500 micrograms/day group and from 11 to 23 nmol/L in the 250 micrograms/day group, with the increase greater in the higher-dose group (P < 0.001). After the 8-week washout, plasma folate and plasma total homocysteine did not return to…

Study & population

Randomized, placebo-controlled trial in healthy, nonpregnant women aged 18-40 years in Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Intervention

Oral folic acid was given for 4 weeks at either 500 micrograms/day or 500 micrograms every second day, which averaged 250 micrograms/day, compared with placebo.

Key limitation

The active intervention period was short, and the population was limited to healthy young women, which restricts generalizability.

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