Geriatric mental function and serum folate: a review and survey.

A review of the growing body of information regarding folic acid biochemistry indicates a relationship between folate metabolism and mental disturbance. Clinical correlations between altered mental functions associated with aging and lowered serum folate values are found to suggest that further studies are warranted. The fasting serum folate levels of two groups of subjects 65 years of age and older are compared after excluding the influence of drugs, alcohol, and gastrointestinal disease. The results show that those elderly persons with good dietary habits and mental acuity had no lowered serum folate levels. Thus, the suggestion that serum folate level normally falls with age is not confirmed. Additionally, it was found that 35% of similarly aged subjects with combined mental dysfunction and poor dietary habits had lowered serum folate values.