Folate findings prompt new attention to proper amounts

Avoiding too much of a good thing is important for some older people when determining the correct amount of this vitamin.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Jan. 29, 2007.

Washington -- Folate has maintained a relatively low profile since 1998 when it was added, in folic acid, to the nation's grain supply. Now, thanks to the publication of new studies, this nutrient is re-entering the limelight.

Findings suggest that this B vitamin could play a role in slowing cognitive impairment and, teamed with vitamin B-6, might decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease by lowering homocysteine levels.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised concerns with a report that the folate status of women of childbearing age is declining despite long-standing evidence that adequate doses of this vitamin in the diets of newly pregnant women can help prevent neural tube defects in their infants.

These studies are generating new discussions on just how much folate is required for good health and on the risks of taking too much or too little.

The findings mean different things for patients of different ages. Older people are likely to be attracted by the news of folic acid's potential for improving cognition, but they need to be warned that too much folic acid can result, indirectly, in cognitive impairment. And young women may need to be reminded to take a supplement for the health of future offspring.

"I think it's very appropriate that we are paying a lot of attention to this vitamin these days," said Joel Mason, MD, director of the vitamins and carcinogenesis laboratory at the USDA Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. "I think we are finding that it does have an impact on a lot of aspects of our health that we were not formerly aware of."