Objective: Elevated homocysteine (HC) has been recently associated with increased risk of vascular events and dementia. The cross-sectional relationship between HC, B12, folate and measures of cognitive function and mood have not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between these vitamins and HC with cognitive function and depression in a community sample of 299 men from a large ongoing cohort.
Design: Cross-sectional survey
Materials and Methods: The mean age (SD) of these men was 78.9 (2.8) years. Fasting serum B12, red cell folate (RCF) and creatinine, and total plasma HC were measured. Cognitive assessment included the MMSE, ADAS-Cog, a digit-cancellation test, California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) and Clock Drawing. Quality of life was measured using the SF36. Depressed mood was assessed with the GDS 15 and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Descriptive statistics, linear regression and multiple regression analyses were performed using SPSS.
Results: The mean (SD) levels were 293 (254) pmol/l for B12, 981, (354) nmol/l for RCF and 13.5 (5.3) mmol/l for HC. 14% and 1% of the men were deficient in B12 and folate, respectively, and 24% had hyperhomocysteinemia. There were inverse correlations between the logarithmic transformation of HC and B12 and RCF, r = -0.26 (p<0.001) and – 0.34 (p < 0.001), respectively. There were no statistically significant relationships between measures of mood, cognition, QOL and vitamin and HC levels apart from an inverse relationship between log HC and attention, r= - 0.13 (p = 0.02) and the physical functioning subscale of the SF36, r= -0.13 (p = 0.02).
Conclusion: Community dwelling men have high levels of B12 deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia, but the levels of B12, folate and HC do not seem to be strongly associated with mood and cognitive functioning.
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