Folic acid could cut risk of dementia, study finds - which foods we should eat more?

Folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, folate and folacin, is one of the B vitamins which helps make healthy red blood cells. 

Researchers from the USA and Israel discovered that lower levels of B9 in older people face a higher risk of dementia.

Academics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, and the University of Haifa in Israel, have called for folate levels in older generations to be routinely checked for deficiencies.

Published in the journal Evidence Based Mental Health, researchers gathered data from 27,000 Israeli people aged 60 to 75 who did not have a dementia diagnosis.

The study followed participants from January 2013 to October 2017 and tracked the differences between healthy people and those who received a dementia diagnosis or died.

Increasing the amount of folic acid in our diets could cut the risk of dementia in older age, according to a new study. Photo via Canva/Pixabay.

During the project, 3,418 participants were confirmed as being folate deficient while researchers determined there was a 1.68-fold increased risk of dementia for those with a defiency. 

Those with a deficiency also had a 2.98-fold increased risk of dying during the follow-up period, according to the study.

What you need to know about folic acid

It’s long been known that pregnant women should take folic acid to help protect their baby from birth defects. But now it seems the vitamin can help reduce the risk of dementia, and having low levels has also been linked to premature death.

Past studies have found the vitamin – which helps form red blood cells, enables nerves to function properly and is essential in the formation of DNA – may help protect from heart disease and stroke.

The British Dietetic Association (BDA, bda.uk.com) explains that folic acid supplements can reduce high levels of homocysteine – an amino acid that irritates blood vessels – which has been associated with increased risk of heart attack or stroke, although it’s thought to be an indicator rather than a risk factor for heart disease.

Which foods contain folic acids or vitamin B9?

The BDA says most people (other than pregnant women or those trying for a baby) should be able to get enough folate in their diet by eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, beans and wholegrains, which are naturally high in folate, and may also protect against bowel cancer and heart disease.

The BDA says folic acid can be found in green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and broccoli; beans and legumes (e.g. peas, blackeye beans); yeast and beef extracts; oranges and orange juice; wheat bran and other wholegrain foods; poultry, pork, shellfish and liver; and fortified foods (such as some brands of breakfast cereals – check the label).

Folic acid in bread

Folic acid will soon be added to non-wholemeal wheat flour across the UK to help prevent life-threatening spinal conditions in babies, the government and devolved administrations announced last September.

The Department of Health and Social Care says adding folic acid will mean foods made with flour, such as bread, will help avoid around 200 neural tube defects each year – around 20% of the annual UK total.

Folic acid and B9 supplements explained

The BDA says women trying for a baby, and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, are advised to take a folic acid supplement, or pregnancy-specific vitamin supplement, and eat a diet rich in folates.

Dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton from the Health and Food Supplements Information Service said: “Women planning a pregnancy are advised to take a folic acid supplement of 400 micrograms daily. People can also top up their blood folate levels with a multivitamin or B complex supplement. Indeed, clinical trials have found that taking B vitamins can benefit mental function and help prevent cognitive decline in older people.”

However, the BDA says it’s advisable for people aged over 50 – or with a history of bowel cancer – not to take folic acid supplements containing more than 200μg (micrograms) per day. For other people, long-term intakes from fortified foods and supplements should be below 1mg a day for adults (lower amounts for children).