Xiao Chen1, Jiaxi Yang2,3, Hui Zhang4,5, Yuhui Huang1, Yaying Cao6, Shiyu Yan1, Geng Zong6, Yan Zheng7, Xiaofeng Wang8,9, Changzheng Yuan10,11. 1. School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. 2. Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity & Equality (ACRLE), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. 3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. 4. Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 5. National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 6. CAS Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. 7. State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 8. Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. wangxiaofeng@fudan.edu.cn. 9. National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. wangxiaofeng@fudan.edu.cn. 10. School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. chy478@zju.edu.cn. 11. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. chy478@zju.edu.cn.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Lower plasma level of folate has been associated with an increased risk of age-related cognitive impairment. However, studies that examined this relation have yielded mixed results. We aimed to examine the prospective association of plasma folate level with risk of cognitive impairment in a community-based prospective cohort of older adults in China. METHODS: This study included 615 participants (mean age: 76.3 years) without baseline cognitive impairment from the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study (RuLAS). We used logistic regression to examine the prospective association between baseline plasma folate and risk of cognitive impairment in the next two years. Fasting blood samples were collected and assayed for plasma folate level at baseline. Cognitive impairment was defined as Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS) score ≤ 21.5 points. RESULTS: During two years' follow-up, 20.7% of the participants developed cognitive impairment. After controlled for age, gender, and plasma homocysteine, a higher level of plasma folate was associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment. The corresponding odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval was 0.41 (0.19-0.89) comparing participants at extreme quintiles of plasma folate (median level 17.2 vs. 6.3 nmol/L). The associations were similar after further adjustment for major demographic and lifestyle factors (OR = 0.42, 0.18-0.98). Moreover, the inverse association was particularly stronger among males (OR = 0.12, 0.03-0.52) but was non-significant among females. CONCLUSION: Our findings support a potential beneficial role of higher plasma folate levels in cognitive function in older Chinese adults, particularly among males. Future studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up are warranted to confirm these findings and to identify the optimal plasma folate level for cognitive function.
PURPOSE: Lower plasma level of folate has been associated with an increased risk of age-related cognitive impairment. However, studies that examined this relation have yielded mixed results. We aimed to examine the prospective association of plasma folate level with risk of cognitive impairment in a community-based prospective cohort of older adults in China. METHODS: This study included 615 participants (mean age: 76.3 years) without baseline cognitive impairment from the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study (RuLAS). We used logistic regression to examine the prospective association between baseline plasma folate and risk of cognitive impairment in the next two years. Fasting blood samples were collected and assayed for plasma folate level at baseline. Cognitive impairment was defined as Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS) score ≤ 21.5 points. RESULTS: During two years' follow-up, 20.7% of the participants developed cognitive impairment. After controlled for age, gender, and plasma homocysteine, a higher level of plasma folate was associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment. The corresponding odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval was 0.41 (0.19-0.89) comparing participants at extreme quintiles of plasma folate (median level 17.2 vs. 6.3 nmol/L). The associations were similar after further adjustment for major demographic and lifestyle factors (OR = 0.42, 0.18-0.98). Moreover, the inverse association was particularly stronger among males (OR = 0.12, 0.03-0.52) but was non-significant among females. CONCLUSION: Our findings support a potential beneficial role of higher plasma folate levels in cognitive function in older Chinese adults, particularly among males. Future studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up are warranted to confirm these findings and to identify the optimal plasma folate level for cognitive function.
Authors: Martha Clare Morris; Denis A Evans; Julia L Bienias; Christine C Tangney; Liesi E Hebert; Paul A Scherr; Julie A Schneider Journal: Arch Neurol Date: 2005-04
Authors: Jessica C Agnew-Blais; Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller; Jae H Kang; Patricia E Hogan; Laura H Coker; Linda G Snetselaar; Jordan W Smoller Journal: J Acad Nutr Diet Date: 2014-09-08 Impact factor: 4.910