The effects did not differ by sex or by age group .
Conclusions Evidence on the effects of supplementation of low concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate on haematological parameters in community-dwelling older people is inconclusive .
Background / objectives Low vitamin B12 and folate levels in community-dwelling older people are usually corrected with supplements .
However , the effect of this supplementation on haematological parameters in older persons is not known .
Use of Folic Acid-Fortified Milk in the Elderly Population
Folic acid deficiency is common in the elderly population , result ing in anaemia , dementia , many neurological sequelae and an indirect role in atheromatous disease . An increase in natural food folate is relatively ineffective at increasing folate status and the use of folate fortification of foodstuffs is recommended . The aim of our study was to assess the benefits of folic acid-fortified milk to the folate status of an elderly institutionalised population . 49 subjects received  fortified milk  as part of their daily diet for at least 6 months ( active group ) and 40 subjects received unfortified milk ( control group ) . Our results showed a mean serum folate level in the active group of 5.81 ( 1.1–17.6 ) µg/l compared to the control group mean of 2.16 ( 0.5–9.4 ) µg/l ( p < 0.001 ; normal range for serum folate 2.7–20 µg/l ) . Similarly the mean red cell folate level in the active group of 316.5 ( 130–905 ) µg/l was significantly higher than the control group mean of 196.1 ( 95–490 ) µg/l ( p < 0.001 ; normal range for red cell folate 150–1,000 µg/l ) . Our results suggest that folic acid-fortified milk is an efficacious and acceptable method of administration of folic acid in the elderly population and we recommend the use of folic acid-fortified milk in the regular daily diet of the elderly population
The effects did not differ by sex or by age group .
Conclusions Evidence on the effects of supplementation of low concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate on haematological parameters in community-dwelling older people is inconclusive .
Background / objectives Low vitamin B12 and folate levels in community-dwelling older people are usually corrected with supplements .
However , the effect of this supplementation on haematological parameters in older persons is not known .