Vitamin B-12 and folate in relation to the development of Alzheimer's disease

Objective: To explore the associations of low serum levels of vitamin B,, a nd folate with AD occurrence. Methods: A population-based longitudinal stud y in Sweden, the Kungsholmen Project. A random sample of 370 nondemented pe rsons, aged 75 years and older and not treated with B-12 and folate, was fo llowed for 3 years to detect incident AD cases. Two cut-off points were use d to define low levels of vitamin B-12 (less than or equal to 150 and less than or equal to 250 pmol/L) and folate (less than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 12 nmol/L), and all analyses were performed using both def initions. AD and other types of dementia were diagnosed by specialists acco rding to DSM-III-R criteria. Results: When using B-12 less than or equal to 150pmol/L and folate less than or equal to 10 nmol/L to define low levels, compared with people with normal levels of both vitamins, subjects with lo w levels of B,, or folate had twice higher risks of developing AD (relative risk [RR] = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.2 to 3.5). These associations were even strang er in subjects with good baseline cognition (RR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.1 to 8.4) . Similar relative risks of AD were found in subjects with ion; levels of B -12 or folate and among those with both vitamins at low levels. A comparabl e pattern was detected when low vitamin levels were defined as B-12 less th an or equal to 250 pmol/L and folate less than or equal to 12 nmol/L. Concl usions: This study suggests that vitamin B-12 and folate may be involved in the development of AD. A dear association was detected only when both vita mins were taken into account, especially among the cognitively intact subje cts. No interaction was found between the two vitamins, Monitoring serum B- 12 and folate concentration in the elderly may be relevant for prevention o f AD.