Lee Swanson Research Update

B Vitamins Reduce Homocysteine Concentrations

December 2004

Here's to a beneficial breakfast! In a study conducted by the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston and Michigan State University, researchers found that one cup of fortified breakfast cereal daily significantly increased B-vitamin levels and decreased homocysteine concentrations in study subjects.

Researchers kicked off the study noting, "High homocysteine and low B-vitamin concentrations have been linked to the risk of vascular disease, stroke and dementia and are relatively common in older adults. We assessed the effect of breakfast cereal fortified with folic acid, vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12 on vitamin and homocysteine status."

One hundred eighty-nine study participants, ages 50-85, were randomly assigned to consume one cup of breakfast cereal fortified with 440 mcg of folic acid, 1.8 mg of vitamin B-6 and 4.8 mcg of vitamin B-12 or placebo cereal for 12 weeks.

Blood was drawn at baseline and again after weeks two, 12 and 14. Methionine-loading tests were also carried out to measure homocysteine breakdown. All subjects were free of hypertension, anemia, asthma, cancer or cardiovascular or digestive disease, and did not regularly consume multiple or B-vitamin supplements or highly fortified breakfast cereal.

Final baseline-adjusted plasma homocysteine concentrations were significantly lower and B-vitamin concentrations were significantly higher in the treatment group than in the placebo group. The percentage of subjects with folate concentrations less than 11 nmol/L decreased from 2% to 0%, while those with vitamin B-12 concentrations less than 185 pmol/L fell from 9% to 3%. Those with low B-6 levels also decreased from 6% to 2% percent. Meanwhile homocysteine concentration above 10.4 mmol/L in women or 11.4 mmol/L in men fell from 6.4% to 1.6%.

Am J Clin Nutrition 79(5):805-811, 2004

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