Lowering of homocysteine concentrations in elderly men and women

B-vitamin supplementation has previously been shown to lower the concentration of plasma total homocysteine, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Little is known about the homocysteine-lowering effects of low-dose B-vitamins in elderly individuals, who are prone to higher homocysteine levels due to advanced age and a greater frequency of impaired vitamin status. We aimed to identify if and to what extent B-vitamins lower total homocysteine and its subfractions in elderly individuals. Men and women (> or = 60 years) received either B-vitamins (400 micrograms folic acid + 1.65 mg pyridoxine + 3 micrograms cyanocobalamin) or a placebo daily for 4 weeks. Subjects in the vitamin group showed a significant decrease in plasma total homocysteine during the first 2 weeks; thereafter, total homocysteine only slightly decreased further resulting in a geometric mean reduction of -16.3% (95% CI: -11.3% to -21.0%) over the entire treatment period. Free homocysteine decreased as well. However, the observed higher ratio of free/total homocysteine after 4 weeks of supplementation suggest a more pronounced reduction in protein-bound homocysteine. Low-dose B-vitamin supplementation is effective in lowering homocysteine in elderly individuals. Further studies are needed to be able to depict the effect of B-vitamin supplementation on different homocysteine sub-fractions in plasma.