Associations between Alzheimer’s Disease and Blood Homocysteine, Vitamin B₁₂, and Folate: A Case-Control Study

Title:Associations between Alzheimer’s Disease and Blood Homocysteine, Vitamin B₁₂, and Folate: A Case-Control Study

Volume: 12 Issue: 1

Author(s): Hui Chen, Shuai Liu, Lu Ji, Tianfeng Wu, Fei Ma, Yong Ji, Yuying Zhou, Miaoyan Zheng, Meilin Zhang and Guowei Huang

Affiliation:

Keywords: Activities of daily living, Alzheimer’s disease, folate, homocysteine, mini-Mental state examination, vitamin B₁₂.

Abstract: Background: There is a growing focus on nutritional therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and controversy exists regarding the association between AD and homocysteine (Hcy), vitamin B₁₂, and folate levels. Objective: The present study evaluated the association between AD and the combined levels of Hcy, vitamin B₁₂, and folate. Methods: This case-control study consisted of 115 patients with AD and 115 matched controls. Serum folate and vitamin B₁₂ were measured using an automated immunoassay analyzer. Plasma Hcy was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. The association between AD and Hcy, vitamin B₁₂, and folate was analyzed using binary logistic regression, adjusted for age and sex. Results: With the combination of normal blood Hcy, vitamin B₁₂, and folate levels as the reference category, low vitamin B₁₂ in subjects with normal Hcy and folate was associated with AD (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6–13.2). The combination of low vitamin B₁₂ and folate in subjects with normal Hcy was associated with AD (adjusted OR, 4.3; 95% CI: 1.3–14.6). The combination of high Hcy and low folate levels in patients with normal vitamin B₁₂ was associated with AD (adjusted OR, 17.0; 95% CI: 5.4– 53.4). The combination of high Hcy, low vitamin B₁₂, and any folate level was associated with AD (adjusted OR, 30.5; 95% CI: 9.7–95.9). Conclusion: Vitamin B₁₂ was directly associated with AD. The combination of high Hcy, low vitamin B₁₂, and any folate level represented the poorest association with AD.

Cite this article as:

Chen Hui, Liu Shuai, Ji Lu, Wu Tianfeng, Ma Fei, Ji Yong, Zhou Yuying, Zheng Miaoyan, Zhang Meilin and Huang Guowei, Associations between Alzheimer’s Disease and Blood Homocysteine, Vitamin B₁₂, and Folate: A Case-Control Study, Current Alzheimer Research 2015; 12 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1567205012666141218144035