Plasma homocysteine, but not folate or vitamin B-12, predicts mortality in older people in the United Kingdom.

Journal article

There is uncertainty about the importance of plasma levels of homocysteine, vitamin B-12, and folate for all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in older people. We examined the associations between plasma levels of folate, vitamin B-12, and homocysteine, and all-cause and CVD mortality among community-dwelling adults aged > or = 75 y living in the United Kingdom. In a population-based prospective cohort study, 853 men and women aged > or = 75 y were examined in 1995-98 as part of the Medical Research Council Trial of Assessment and Management of Older People in the Community. During a median follow-up of 7.6 y (5528 person-years of follow-up), 429 individuals (50.3%) died, including 185 from CVD. Individuals with plasma homocysteine levels in the top one-third compared with the bottom one-third had a 2-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.76, 2.75; P < 0.001) and CVD mortality (hazard ratio, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.39, 2.78; P < 0.001) after adjustment for age, sex, and other covariates. There was no association of plasma folate or vitamin B-12 levels with mortality. Our results extend previously reported associations of homocysteine with mortality, and the absence of associations of folate and vitamin B-12 with mortality, to the older population.

Authors: Dangour, A; Breeze, E; Clarke, R; Shetty, P; Uauy, R

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Journal of nutrition
• Volume: 138
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1121-1128
• Publication date: 2008-06-01
• EISSN: 1541-6100
• ISSN: 0022-3166
• Language: English
• Keywords: Humans; Aged, 80 and over; Cohort Studies; Aged; Vitamin B 12; Great Britain; Folic Acid; Male; Cardiovascular Diseases; Risk Factors; Female; Homocysteine; Biological Markers