Brain & Nervous System Alzheimer's Prevention Vitamin B9 and How Folic Acid Affects Dementia By Esther Heerema, MSW facebook twitter linkedin Esther Heerema, MSW, shares practical tips gained from working with hundreds of people whose lives are touched by Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia. Learn about our editorial process Esther Heerema, MSW Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Shaheen Lakhan, MD, PhD on November 27, 2019 linkedin Shaheen Lakhan, MD, PhD, is an award-winning, board-certified physician-scientist and clinical development specialist. Learn about our Medical Review Board Shaheen Lakhan, MD, PhD Updated on December 06, 2019 Print Vitamin B9 is also known as folic acid or folate. Technically, folate is the term for the vitamin B9 that is found naturally in foods, while folic acid is the name for the synthetic supplement that is added to foods and vitamins. Adequate amounts of folic acid have commonly been recommended to prevent birth defects such as spina bifida. But, did you know that getting enough folate has also been associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia? Natasa Mandic / Stocksy United The Research One study conducted involved 166 people: 47 of whom were diagnosed with Alzheimer's, 41 with vascular dementia, and 36 with a mixed dementia diagnosis. Additionally, 42 people who did not have cognitive impairment were also included in the study. Researchers measured each participants' levels of folate and after reviewing the results, they found that people with dementia had significantly lower levels of folic acid as compared to those without dementia. The results were similar for each of the three types of dementia included in this study. A second study reviewed multiple research studies and concluded that low folic acid levels clearly were associated with the presence of both mild cognitive impairment and dementia. A third study which focused solely on women found that lower levels of folic acid were associated with a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment. Does Adding Folic Acid to Your Diet Help? Possibly, although the results are not conclusive thus far. One study involving 900 older adults who lived in their own homes found that long-term supplementation with vitamin B12 and folate improved memory. Another study which involved administering folic acid to rats found that both short-term and long-term memory improved. (Whether this would translate to humans is unknown.) However, other studies did not find a significant difference in the cognition of people whose diets were supplemented with folic acid. Clearly, more research is needed on this topic. Conclusions People with adequate levels of folate generally have a lower risk of dementia. Although it's unclear if folic acid supplementation will decrease the risk, a healthy diet (including leafy green vegetables which are naturally high in folate) has repeatedly been correlated with a reduced risk of dementia. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! When it comes to Alzheimer's, the MIND diet has shown promise in reducing risk and promoting brain health. Sign up for our Alzheimer’s and Dementia Newsletter and get your free recipe guide today. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Agnew-blais JC, Wassertheil-smoller S, Kang JH, et al. 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