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Vitamin B12, Folate, and Cognition in 6- to 9-Year-Olds: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Ingrid Kvestad1, Sunita Taneja2, Ravi P Upadhyay3,4

  • 1Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare West, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway.

Pediatrics
|February 6, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Supplementing vitamin B12 and folic acid in early childhood did not improve long-term cognitive outcomes in children. Early childhood B vitamin levels showed no lasting association with cognition after adjusting for confounders.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Vitamin B12 and folate are crucial for early brain development.
  • Supplementation in early childhood is a potential strategy to enhance cognitive function.
  • Understanding the long-term impact of these vitamins is essential for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the long-term cognitive effects of 6-month vitamin B12 and/or folic acid supplementation in early childhood.
  • To assess the association between early childhood B vitamin status and later cognitive outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Follow-up of a factorial randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 1000 North Indian children (6-30 months).
  • Children received placebo, vitamin B12, folic acid, or both daily for 6 months.
  • Cognitive assessments (WISC-IV, Crichton Verbal Scale, NEPSY-II) were conducted at 6-9 years on 791 children; plasma B vitamin markers were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in cognitive outcomes were observed between intervention groups and the placebo group.
  • Unadjusted analyses showed associations between early plasma cobalamin, folate, and homocysteine levels and later cognition.
  • These associations were no longer significant after adjusting for relevant confounders.

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation in children aged 6-36 months has limited public health relevance for long-term cognitive development.
  • Findings suggest that early nutritional interventions with these vitamins may not be a primary driver of sustained cognitive enhancement.
Abstract

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