Folic Acid May Reduce Age-Related Memory Problems

Did you know that over 16 million people in the United States will suffer from age-related memory problems? That’s nearly 40% of everyone over the age of 65 years old, making it one of the most common issues faced by elders.

Age-related memory problems, also known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is something every human being will go through at some point in their lives. While our bodies work extremely hard to repair itself and maintain proper functioning, they won’t be able to do this forever. Eventually, your body will start to age and your brain is no different.

It’s one of the more frustrating parts of life. It won’t matter how much you exercise, how well your diet is, or how much time you dedicate to taking care of your body - everyone will experience mild cognitive impairment eventually.

While there won’t be anything that can stop this from happening, there are plenty of things we can do to slow down the rate of cognitive decline and ensure this type of decline doesn’t happen sooner than it’s supposed to.

If you or a loved one has started to experience age-related memory problems, it’s not too late to find relief. With the right nutrients and supplementation, you can begin to give your brain exactly what it needs to function properly. It’s best to do something about it as early as possible to prevent it from getting any worse than it already is.

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Before we get started, it’s important to understand the difference between age-related memory problems and dementia. Many people will use these two terms interchangeably, but they’re two completely different diseases.

They both refer to memory loss, but one side of the spectrum will be due to natural causes (aging), while the other side of the spectrum is more serious and can be diagnosed in younger people (dementia). While dementia is much more serious, age-related memory problems have to be dealt with properly as well.

If you’re struggling with your memory and are trying to figure out whether it’s dementia or mild cognitive impairment, it’s best to talk to your doctor. Dementia will generally be caused by an underlying medical condition, while mild cognitive impairment will be caused by an aging brain.

MCI refers to not being able to remember details that happened one year ago, while dementia refers to not being able to remember details at all.

With MCI, you’ll struggle to remember people’s names that you don’t see often. With dementia, you’ll struggle to remember anyone’s name including family members. MCI patients forget things from time to time, while dementia patients are forgetful frequently. MCI patients might have difficulty finding the right words sometimes, while dementia patients experience this difficulty every single conversation they have.

One of the things doctors have realized about dementia and MCI is that MCI patients generally won’t have a concerned family. The memory problems are usually realized by the person and will go unnoticed to those close to them.

On the other hand, dementia is much easier for others to notice and will almost always come with worried family members. In some cases, the person won’t know they’re experiencing dementia - which is a sure-tell sign that something is wrong.

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While age-related memory problems aren’t as serious as dementia, they can still have an adverse effect on the quality of anyone’s life. Not doing anything about it will only make it worse and eventually lead to something more serious like Azheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

It’s going to be more difficult to build relationships with other people, learn new things, remember important events, and add an overall sense of frustration to your normal day-to-day activities. It’s one of the things people hate about getting older and the reason why so many people fear getting old.

Coping with mild cognitive impairment will be easier for some, but most people will need to make major changes in their life to combat this disease and reduce the rate that it gets worse.

In addition to these natural remedies, you should talk to your doctor about finding the right supplements to take every day. There are a wide range of supplements that can help provide your brain with the nutrients needed for proper function - one of which might be easier to obtain than you’d think.

Also Read: What Are the Symptoms of Cerebral Folate Deficiency?

There has been a growing amount of research being performed on the effects of folic acid in people experiencing age-related memory problems. That’s because one of the most common things found in these patients was a folic acid deficiency - something that’s been linked to a wide range of diseases.

A majority of this research has been centered around an amino acid - homocysteine - that has long been studied for its effects on cardiovascular diseases. High levels of homocysteine in the blood have now been linked to memory issues and it’s something that’s more common that most people think.

What makes folic acid so important with all of this is how it interacts with homocysteine. Normally, our body will convert homocysteine to methionine, an amino acid that is necessary for proper body function. The body is able to make this conversion with the help of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B9, also known as folic acid.

When our body doesn’t get enough Vitamin B12 and B9 from our diet, the homocysteine in the blood won’t get converted and will eventually lead to build-ups in the blood.

Folic acid, along with Vitamin B12, is one of the more common deficiencies found in humans. It plays an essential role in the nervous system and helps keep your brain functioning properly. A lack of it can cause various health concerns, one of which being mild cognitive impairment.

Folic acid is often used as an umbrella term, but it causes a lot of confusion because it’s also a specific term. The real umbrella term that should be used is Vitamin because folic acid is a form of it. In fact, folic acid is the synthetic form of Vitamin B9 that humans created to fortify certain foods with.

There are two other major forms of Vitamin B9, folate and methylfolate. Folate is known as the natural form of Vitamin B9, while methylfolate is known as the active form. Our bodies can’t utilize Vitamin B9 until it converts it to methylfolate.

Once converted to methylfolate, it’s responsible for a wide range of processes and functions inside the body - one of the most important being the breakdown of homocysteine.

When looking at folic acid and folate, most doctors will prefer the use of folate because folic acid requires a much longer and less efficient process before being converted to methylfolate. On the other hand, folate is ready to be converted right away.

If supplementation is needed, folic acid was long considered the go-to. Nowadays, methylfolate has emerged as the supplement of choice and is much more effective than both folate and folic acid.

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Our team at Methyl-Life® are no strangers to Vitamin B9 and Vitamin B12 deficiencies. We’ve dedicated ourselves to studying these deficiencies and helping others find a quality solution to help them regain the quality of life that has been lost.

If you’ve been experiencing age-related memory problems - or you know a loved one that has started to show signs of it - you can benefit from a quality supplement designed to improve cognitive function (including memory).

At Methyl-Life®, we have several key products that could help deliver the right nutrients to your brain. We have one called Focus + Recall that contains PQQ, Citicoline, and Phosphatidylserine - three essential nutrients for brain function and brain health.

We also offer a methylfolate-only capsule that comes in a variety of strengths, including 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg, and 15mg dosages. This can also be found in our Beginner’s Bundle, which comes with a Magnesium supplement, a non-methylated multivitamin, and a Vitamin B12 capsule.

When you’re ready to take control of your age-related memory problems, contact our team at Methyl-Life® today. We can’t wait to help you get your life back!

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