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As we age our bodies begin to work less efficiently. Digestion, physical prowess, and even our mental capabilities begin to decline. For some this process is delayed, while for those with other chronic illness or sub-optimal health, these functions can begin to decline earlier than expected.

Scientists have identified many factors in daily life which can help to prolong healthy physical and mental function. Daily exercise, a healthy diet, and stress free lifestyle all contribute to long term health. Many factors in the blood are associated with earlier health declines. Among those are high cholesterol, inflammatory compounds, and homocysteine.

Homocysteine has been linked to a variety of health conditions, most notably heart disease and mental decline. It is a by-product of DNA production, that often builds up to dangerous levels in the absence of B vitamins. It is believed to damage the lining of blood vessels, increase the risk for blood clots, and damage nerve cells in key areas of the brain.

Individuals with low folic acid can have very high homocysteine levels. And studies have shown that supplementation with folic acid reduces homocyteine levels in a dose dependent manner. Many elderly men and women can develop folic acid deficiencies due to poor nutrient absorption in the GI tract as well as poor food choices or options.

Because the elderly are already at risk for cognitive decline by fact of age, low folic acid levels can only contribute to the problem because of homocysteine build up. So scientists at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland were interested in the effect that long term folic acid supplementation would have on mental function in elderly men and women with high homocysteine.

More than 800 men and women age 50-70 with both low folic acid levels and high homocysteine levels were enrolled in a study to measure the effect of long term supplementation with folic acid on cognitive function. They were divided into a treatment group which received 800 mcg of folic acid daily for 3 years and a control group which received a placebo for the same time frame.

Each subject underwent cognitive testing at the beginning of the trial. Areas of mental function tested included memory, learning, sensorimotor ability, and language.

Both groups had similar homocysteine and folic acid levels in their blood at onset of the study. After three years, the treatment group increased its folic acid levels in the blood by six times, where as in the control, folic acid levels remained constant. Homocysteine levels in the treatment group dropped by three points and rose slightly in the control group.

Cognitive ability was equal in both groups at the beginning of the study, but after three years the treatment group improved in several areas including memory and word fluency, and stayed the same in all other areas. The control group showed relative decline in most areas, a statistically significant difference from treatment group.

What was even more surprising was that those in the treatment group had such an improvement in cognitive function their ability was comparative to persons as much as seven years younger!

The authors were very satisfied with the results of this study, which were published in the January 2007 issue of the Lancet. However, the results need to be followed up with additional evidence to support the use of folic acid in the general population. This population was specific to have low folate and high homocysteine.