| Tie a knot in a hanky...with folic acid
| 24 February 2007 |
A new study has found that folic acid has the potential to significantly improve absent mindedness in the ovr-50s (Folic acid boost minds of over 50s, study finds, The Guardian, Jan 19, 2007).
The study showed that short-term memory, mental agility and verbal fluency tests were better amongst those who took high doses of the supplement for 3 years, compared with a group given placebo.
The Swiss study recruited 818 people who had high blood concentrations of homocysteines, which are amino acids believed to be an indicator of a poor cognitivie perfomance as well as an increased rosl pf dementia and cardiovascular illnesses. Folic acid lowers homocysteine levels and is essential for cell development.
Half of the trial was given 800 micrograms of folic acid a day-the equivalent of 1.2kg of strawberries-and double the amount recommended for pregnant women. The other half was given placebos. Those who took the supplement performed significantly better in mental agility and memory tests compared with those given the placebo.
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