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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Nov 23;8(11):748.
doi: 10.3390/nu8110748.

Effects of Two-Year Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Supplementation on Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Elevated Homocysteine Concentrations: Additional Results from the B-PROOF Study, an RCT

Elisa J de Koning  1   2 , Nikita L van der Zwaluw  3 , Janneke P van Wijngaarden  4 , Evelien Sohl  5   6 , Elske M Brouwer-Brolsma  7 , Harm W J van Marwijk  8   9   10 , Anke W Enneman  11 , Karin M A Swart  12   13 , Suzanne C van Dijk  14 , Annelies C Ham  15 , Nathalie van der Velde  16 , André G Uitterlinden  17 , Brenda W J H Penninx  18   19 , Petra J M Elders  20 , Paul Lips  21   22 , Rosalie A M Dhonukshe-Rutten  23 , Natasja M van Schoor  24   25 , Lisette C P G M de Groot  26
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Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of Two-Year Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Supplementation on Depressive Symptoms and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Elevated Homocysteine Concentrations: Additional Results from the B-PROOF Study, an RCT

Elisa J de Koning et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Lowering elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations by supplementing vitamin B12 and folic acid may reduce depressive symptoms and improve health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in older adults. This study aimed to test this hypothesis in a randomized controlled trial. Participants (N = 2919, ≥65 years, Hcy concentrations ≥12 µmol/L) received either 500 µg vitamin B12 and 400 µg folic acid daily or placebo for two years. Both tablets contained 15 µg vitamin D₃. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). HR-QoL was assessed with the SF-12 Mental and Physical component summary scores and the EQ-5D Index score and Visual Analogue Scale. Differences in two-year change scores were analyzed with Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Hcy concentrations decreased more in the intervention group, but two-year change scores of the GDS-15 and three of four HR-QoL measures did not differ between groups. The EQ-5D Index score declined less in the intervention group than in the placebo group (mean change 0.00 vs. -0.02, p = 0.004). In conclusion, two-year supplementation with vitamin B12 and folic acid in older adults with hyperhomocysteinemia showed that lowering Hcy concentrations does not reduce depressive symptoms, but it may have a small positive effect on HR-QoL.

Keywords: depressive symptoms; folic acid; homocysteine; hyperhomocysteinemia; older adults; quality of life; randomized controlled trial; vitamin B12.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sources had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

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