Cognitive Function After Stopping Folic Acid and DHA Intervention: An Extended Follow-Up Results from the Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

BACKGROUND

Our previously randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed daily oral folic acid (FA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and their combined treatment for 6 months could significantly improve cognitive function in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) individuals.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate whether this benefit seen in the treatment group would sustain after stopping intervention when patients returned to a real-world.

METHODS

RCT (ChiCTR-IOR-16008351) was conducted in Tianjin, China. 160 MCI elders aged ≥60 years were randomly divided into four groups: FA + DHA, FA, DHA, and control. 138 MCI elders who completed the 6-month interventional trial underwent another 6-month follow-up without receiving nutritional therapy. Cognitive performance was measured at 6 and 12 months. Blood amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and homocysteine (Hcy) related biomarkers were measured at baseline and 6 months.

RESULTS

In comparison to the end of nutritional therapy, all intervention groups had considerably lower full-scale IQ, arithmetic, and image completion scores during the follow-up period, while the combined intervention and DHA groups had significantly lower picture arrangement scores. Furthermore, after 6-month treatment with FA and FA + DHA, plasma Aβ, Aβ, and Hcy levels were significantly decreased. However, these biomarker levels at the start of follow-up were positively correlated with the degree of cognitive function change during follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

FA and DHA supplementation enhance cognitive performance in MCI elderly following a six-month intervention by reducing Hcy or Aβ levels. However, their effects on improving cognitive decline are likely to diminish when the intervention is discontinued.