Folic acid supplementation improves cognitive function: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is characterized by loss of memory and cognitive impairment. In epidemiological studies, low folate could disturb vitamin B12 absorption, which leads to the inflammatory process, and it explains the association between both vitamins and Alzheimer’s disease. Material and methods. We did a systematic search through PubMed and Embase according to the PRISMA protocol. We included studies published in the last 5 years (from 2015 to June 2020). Data will be extracted by two reviewers. We assess the quality of studies using JADAD Scale for randomized-controlled trials. Results. We found 426 journals in our search strategy. In the end, 2 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. These two randomized controlled trials revealed that folic acid improved cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease (p < 0.05) and mild cognitive impairment (p = 0.028). Discussion. In this systematic review, we found that daily folic acid supplements could improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. The exact mechanism is unknown, but it is believed that folic acid supplementation improves cognitive function by reducing the levels of peripheral inflammatory cytokines Conclusion. Daily oral folic acid supplemental (400 µg and 1.2 mg) for 6-12 months improves cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Keywords

• folic acid
• cognitive function
• alzheimer’s disease