Folate And B12 May Influence Cognition In Seniors: "'People with normal vitamin B12 status performed better if their serum folate was high,' explains Morris, corresponding author of the study. 'But for people with low vitamin B12 status, high serum folate was associated with poor performance on the cognitive test.' Seniors with low vitamin B12 status and high serum folate were also significantly more likely than seniors in other categories to have anemia, a condition caused by reduced amounts of hemoglobin in oxygen-carrying red blood cells, or by a deficiency in the number or volume of such cells.
'For seniors, low vitamin B12 status and high serum folate was the worst combination,' says Morris. 'Specifically, anemia and cognitive impairment were observed nearly five times as often for people with this combination than among people with normal vitamin B12 and normal folate.' Vitamin B12 deficiency, which affects many seniors due to age-related decreases in absorption, can impact the production of DNA needed for new cells, as well as neurological function."
