It’s long been known that pregnant women should take folic acid to help protect their baby from birth defects. But now it seems the vitamin can help reduce the risk of dementia, and having low levels has also been linked to premature death.
New research from the US and Israel has found deficiency in folate (also known as vitamin B9, with its synthetic form being folic acid) was associated with a substantially increased risk of both dementia and death from any cause – people with folate deficiency had a 1.68-fold increased risk of dementia and a 2.98-fold increased risk of dying.
