What Are The Health Benefits Of Folic Acid For Seniors?

Folic acid is a form of vitamin B needed for several basic bodily functions. While many associate it with a vitamin that pregnant women take to help prevent birth defects, folic acid is important to another demographic: the elderly. Elderly patients taking folic acid have been shown to experience reduced risk of certain diseases that most commonly occur later in life,such as heart disease.

Fights Off Dementia

Patients with low levels of folic acid in their blood have a three times higher risk of experiencing Alzheimer's or dementia, according to The Daily Mail newspaper of London. If you have low levels of folic acid, increasing your consumption of dark green leafy vegetables, dried beans, orange juice and peas can help reduce your risk. The recommended intake of folic acid is 400 micrograms per day. You can take a supplement if you have trouble getting enough folic acid in your daily diet,. Do not exceed 1,000 micrograms per day, however. This is the upper limit for folic acid.

Other Cognitive Improvements

A 2007 study from Wageningen University in the Netherlands published in The Lancet journal concluded that taking folic acid improved memory, communication and information processing. The study measured those older than age 50 over a period of three years. One group took 800 micrograms of folic acid supplements while the other group did not take any folic acid. The group taking folic acid improved in all areas of cognitive function while the group that did not, did not improve in cognitive areas.

Reduced Risk of Heart Disease

In addition to mental benefits, eating foods high in folic acid has been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke in the elderly, according to the Florida Folic Acid Coalition. Taking folic acid has been shown to reduce levels of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine has been linked with heart disease; reducing the risk can mean the elderly will experience better cardiovascular health.

Reduced Cancer Risk

A lack of folic acid in the diet has been linked to increased incidence of a number of cancers, including colon, cervix, rectum, lung, brain, pancreas and esophageal cancers, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. This is because cancers like these are due to mutation and/or damage to DNA. Folic acid helps to synthesize and repair RNA and DNA; taking in more folic acid via fruits and vegetables can have protective effects against cancers.