Effect of Vitamin D and Folic Acid on Mild Cognitive Impairment

March 17, 2026 updated by: Jiaxuan Tao, Capital Medical University

Effects and Mechanisms of Vitamin D Combined With Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 on Mild Cognitive Impairment Via Regulation of Key Factors in 27-Hydroxycholesterol Metabolism

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Vitamin D3 combined with Folic Acid on mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Participants aged 50 to 70 years with MCI will be randomly assigned to three groups: a low-dose Vitamin D3 plus Folic Acid group, a high-dose Vitamin D3 plus Folic Acid group, and a placebo group. The intervention will last for 6 months. The main goal is to observe whether this nutritional intervention can improve or delay the decline of cognitive function.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a critical transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Designing precise dietary and nutritional interventions is a vital strategy for preventing and treating MCI. Based on an established cohort study, this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of combining Vitamin D3 and Folic Acid in MCI patients.

The study will analyze changes in overall and multi-dimensional cognitive functions before and after the 6-month intervention. Furthermore, the study will explore the underlying mechanisms by analyzing biological samples (blood, urine, and feces) for alterations in 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) and its metabolites, active Vitamin D3, Folic Acid levels, CYP27A1 activity, and related gene polymorphisms. The findings will help determine the optimal interaction ratio and effective dosage of this combined nutritional intervention for delaying cognitive decline.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
380

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Beijing Municipality
      • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100069
        • Capital Medical University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 50 to 70 years old.
  • Derived from the established elderly chronic disease and health cohort.
  • Meet the diagnostic criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) (e.g., indicated by specific cut-off scores on the MoCA adjusted for education level).
  • Volunteered to participate, able to cooperate with the cognitive assessments, and signed the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, other types of dementia, or severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., severe depression, schizophrenia).
  • History of severe neurological diseases (e.g., stroke, brain tumor, brain trauma) that may affect cognitive function.
  • Severe visual or hearing impairments that prevent the completion of cognitive tests.
  • Patients with liver diseases (e.g., hepatitis, liver cirrhosis) or kidney diseases (e.g., nephritis, kidney stones, renal failure).
  • Patients with hypercalcemia (serum calcium concentration > 10.5 mg/dl).
  • Patients with severe anemia, severe malnutrition, or abnormal thyroid function.
  • Current use or use within the past 3 months of cognition-improving drugs, Vitamin D, or Folic Acid supplements, and unwilling to undergo a 3-month washout period prior to the intervention.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: 800IU/d Vitamin D3 + Folic Acid
Participants will receive one folic acid(0.4mg/d) tablet and one low-dose(800IU/d) Vitamin D3 tablet orally once daily at breakfast for 6 months.
Dietary supplement: Vitamin D3 (800 IU/d) and Folic Acid(0.4mg/d)
One folic acid tablet and one low-dose Vitamin D3 tablet administered orally once daily at breakfast for 6 months.
Experimental: 1600IU/d Vitamin D3 + Folic Acid
Participants will receive one folic acid(0.4mg/d) tablet and one high-dose(1600IU/d) Vitamin D3 tablet orally once daily at breakfast for 6 months.
Dietary supplement: Vitamin D3 (1600 IU/d) and Folic Acid(0.4mg/d)
One folic acid tablet and one high-dose Vitamin D3 tablet administered orally once daily at breakfast for 6 months.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Participants will receive two starch placebo tablets (identical in appearance, color, and smell to the active supplements) orally once daily at breakfast for 6 months.
Other: Starch Placebo
Two starch placebo tablets administered orally once daily at breakfast for 6 months. The placebo is identical in appearance, color, and smell to the active tablets.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Global Cognitive Function Assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Score
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months
Global cognitive function is evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The MoCA assesses different cognitive domains including attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation. The total score ranges from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate better cognitive performance.
Baseline and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] Levels
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months
Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D will be measured to assess the response to Vitamin D3 supplementation.
Baseline and 6 months
Change in Serum Folic Acid Levels
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months
Serum concentrations of folic acid will be measured to assess the response to folic acid supplementation.
Baseline and 6 months
Change in 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) Levels
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months
Levels of 27-OHC and its metabolites in biological samples (blood/urine/feces) will be measured to explore the underlying metabolic mechanisms.
Baseline and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Capital Medical University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Rong Xiao, PhD, Capital Medical University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 17, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Z2025SY068

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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