One Weekly Dose of B-12 Reduces homocysteine.
Normally, we think of a daily dose of B vitamins as being our recommended healthy-heart regimen. But a recent study showed that the combination of folic acid and B-12 may be as effective as a daily intake.
Daily folic acid (FA) supplementation improves folate status, lowers circulating homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations, and reduces the risk of neural tube defects.
A total of 459 women were assigned randomly to 4 groups to receive weekly (5000 or 2800 µg) or daily (400 or 200 µg) FA for 12 weeks. Daily and weekly iron, zinc, and vitamin B-12 were also provided.
Results showed that supplementation improved folate status similarly across all 4 groups. Overall, mean serum folate concentrations increased and Hcy concentration decreased by 9.8%. Daily supplementation improved serum vitamin B-12 by 20% (95% CI: 8, 33.2), whereas weekly supplementation had no effect. In conclusion, weekly FA (either high or low dose) plus vitamin B-12 may be as efficacious as daily supplementation in improving serum folate and lowering Hcy concentrations in healthy women of reproductive age. (1)
(1) 2008 American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 138:1491-1498, August 2008.