Folates and folic acid may lead to mental deterioration in older people taking recommended doses, the Rush University Medical Centre, in Chicago, USA, has concluded.
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Its researchers found that people 65 and older taking folic acid supplements at or above the recommended daily allowance of 400 micrograms had a faster rate of mental decline than others their age. Results were similar for people who had high intakes of folates from food.
Many vegetables and fruits are rich in folates, notably broccoli, spinach, strawberries and oranges. Since 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration has required all grain products be fortified with folic acid, which it considers healthy, especially in preventing birth defects.
