B12, Folic Acid Pills May Not Help Memory

B-vitamin pills may not help preserve memory in certain high-risk older adults, a study finds. The study included more than 2,900 older adults. Their average age was 74. All of them had high blood levels of homocysteine. This has been linked with a greater risk of memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. People in the study took daily vitamin pills. They were randomly assigned to take either vitamin B12 and folic acid or placebo pills. The study lasted 2 years. People took memory and thinking tests before and after the study period. People taking the B vitamins had a drop in homocysteine levels. But both groups had similar results on the memory and thinking tests. The journal Neurology published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it November 12.