Clinical Study Title:
Short-term folate, vitamin B-12 or vitamin B-6 supplementation slightly affects memory performance but not mood in women of various ages.

Plain English Summary:

This study examined the use of a combination of folate, b6 and b12 on cognition and mood in women. A total of 211 women were given either a daily supplement of the b-vitamin complex or a placebo daily over a short period of time. Cognitive functions were measured, as well as a self report of mood was taken for all participants. Those participants who were taking the b-vitamin complex had improvements on the cognitive functions tests, but not on mood. This suggests that folate, vitamin b6 and vitamin b12 help to improve cognitive functions such as memory, processing speed, and verbal abilities.

Authors

Bryan J. Calvaresi E. Hughes D.

Institution

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Health Sciences and Nutrition, Kintore Avenue, Adelaide, 5000 Australia.

Country of Publication

United States

Source

Journal of Nutrition. 132(6):1345-56, 2002 Jun.