The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7186 p233-237
23 February 2002

This article
Reprint
Photocopy

News summary

Raised homocysteine is risk factor for Alzheimer's

An increased plasma homocysteine level is a strong, independent risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease, suggests a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine (2002;346: 476).

Researchers prospectively investigated the association between total plasma homocysteine levels and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in 1,092 subjects. They found that a plasma homocysteine level of greater than 14µmol/litre nearly doubled the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Subjects at greatest risk of dementia were those with a sustained elevation of plasma homocysteine, they add.

The researchers explain that homocysteine levels can be reduced by therapy with folic acid, alone or in combination with vitamins B₆ and B₁₂, and by supplementing the diet with cereals enriched with folate. Clinical trials to assess whether interventions that reduce homocysteine levels can reduce the risk of clinical dementia and Alzheimer's disease are needed before health policy or treatment recommendations can be made, they say.