Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the study population.
| Profile | Folic acid group (n = 84) | Control group (n = 84) | P-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age at screening (years) | 73.71 ± 2.57 | 73.52 ± 3.03 | 0.77 |
| Female | 57 (67.86) | 58 (69.05) | 0.43 |
| Total education (years) | 9.14 ± 3.53 | 9.81 ± 3.09 | 0.15 |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Smoker—ever | 51 (60.71) | 53 (63.10) | 0.19 |
| Alcohol (units/week) | 9.09 ± 9.11 | 8.51 ± 8.33 | 0.13 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 145 ± 22 | 147 ± 24 | 0.66 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 82 ± 11 | 81 ± 10 | 0.54 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.53 ± 3.79 | 25.01 ± 4.11 | 0.17 |
| Medical history | |||
| Diabetes mellitus—ever | 5 (5.95) | 4 (4.76) | 0.13 |
| Hypertension | 6 (7.14) | 7 (8.33) | 0.64 |
| Vascular disease | 11 (13.10) | 10 (11.90) | 0.24 |
| MMSE | 25.60 ± 2.22 | 26.13 ± 2.51 | 0.33 |
| Folate (ng/mL) | 7.01 ± 1.01 | 6.33 ± 0.97 | 0.44 |
| Hcy (mmol/L) | 13.65 ± 4.82 | 12.19 ± 3.85 | 0.57 |
| Vitamin B12(pg/mL) | 571.25 ± 23.37 | 568.48 ± 16.33 | 0.46 |
Results are shown as n (%) for the chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests and as the mean ± SD for independent t-tests (two-tailed). aP < 0.01: significant difference between groups. Abbreviations: BP, blood pressure; BMI, Body Mass Index; Hcy, homocysteine.