Tag Archives: b12

A study of 386 Swedish adolescents aged 15-years suggests that a high intake of folic acid improves young people’s achievement in school. The result is independent of socioeconomic status.

The background for the study is that we are vulnerable to high levels of the harmful substance homocysteine in the blood, which among others can lead to reduced cognitive functions. Homocysteine is produced in the body as a result of the normal metabolism, but if we get enough vitamin B2, B6, B12 and in particular of folic acid, homocysteine will be transformed into healthy amino acids.

In the study the levels of homocysteine in the blood of the young people were measured, and dietary levels of folate were assessed using interviews. The young people’s academic performance after nine years of schooling were measured on ten subjects. Details of current health status, lifestyle, including smoking and familial, educational and economic status was collected using a questionnaire.

Results
Girls and boys were statistically analysed separately. The girls showed better academic results than boys but this is attributed to the teaching method being better suited for girls. The boys had, despite a higher intake of folate also higher homocysteine levels than girls.

Smoking did not affect homocysteine levels, but as expected smokers did perform worse than non-smokers.

Having an educated mother gave a positive influence on student academic achievement, while mother’s income and father’s education did not affect the result. It also helped the result to go to a good school.

Important information
Overall, the results show that students’ academic performance was significantly better with low homocysteine in the blood and a high intake of folic acid. Both students and their parents should know about this research result, which is also worthwhile to include in the debate about school meal provisions.

Ref
Nilsson TK, et al. High Folate Intake Is Related to Better Academic Achievement in Adolescents svensk. Pedriatrics the 2011th E-pub ahead of print.

About Folic Acid

The B vitamin Folic acid may also be called folate. Folic acid is a fragile vitamin, easily destroyed by light and heat. In the diet folic acids is found in green vegetables, some fruit, in beans, nuts, almonds, whole grains and meat and fish. The vitamin is probably best known for its ability to prevent congenital malformations of the brain and spinal cord of expectant mothers.

EFSA
is the EU agency for food safety. They are very critical concerning what can be achieved by using dietary supplements such that folic acid. Yet they recognize that folic acid is important for normal metabolism of homocysteine in the body, for our mental functioning, for normal cell division in the body, for a normal pregnancy, for our immune system, for normal blood formation and the formation of amino acids in the body and not least that it can help to reduce fatigue and exhaustion.

Good sources of folic acid from Pharma Nord

• Bio-Multi Pharma Nord includes a complex of B vitamins including 200 micrograms of folic acid.
• Bio-Marine Plus. Two capsules daily provide 200 mg folic acid and also the essential omega-3     fatty acids, which also benefits the brain function.

Products from Pharma Nord are manufactured to the highest standards for tablet and capsule production and comes in hygienic blister pack.