Stroke
[see also Cardiovascular
Plaque, Heart Disease, Blood
Pressure]
Randomized Trial: B Vitamins
Lowered Risk Of Stroke and Cardiac Events
1 (Read Article...)
While B vitamin therapy (Folate/B12/B6)
had lowered homocysteine levels modestly, the Vitamin Intervention
for Stroke Prevention (VISP) trial reported that the combination
did not reduce the risk of a second stroke. However, a second group
of doctors re-analyzed the data to exclude patients unlikely to respond to the
vitamin treatment. For this subgroup of 2155 patients, there
was a 21% reduction of stroke, coronary events or death. (Read Article...)
Folate Decreased Risk for
Stroke 2 (Read
Article...)
Dietary folate reduced stroke risk
by 20%, according to results of a 20-year prospective study reported
in the medical journal Stroke. This study followed 9764
men and women, aged 25-74 years, without cardiovascular disease
when they enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (NHEFS). Median folate intake
was 203.7 mcg per day, although white men tended to consume more
folate. Subjects who consumed at least 300 mcg of folate daily had
a 20% lower risk of stroke and a 13% lower risk of cardio vascular
disease than those consuming less than 136 mcg of folate daily.
(Read Article...)
Healthy homocysteine levels can be
maintained with a combination of Folate,
B12 and B6. The body-ready (conenzymated) form of these
vitamins may help overcome obstacles to metabolizing homocysteine.
Researchers at Northwestern University
in Illinois followed a group of nearly 44,000 men for 14 years,
noting their folate intake. In this study, men taking the most folate
- half of whom had an intake of over 821 micrograms a day - had
a 30 per cent lower risk of ischemic stroke compared to those consuming
around 262 micrograms of folic acid a day, or less. (Read Article...)
Limitations
- Additional studies are forthcoming to further
demonstrate whether folate intake has a direct, causal role
in reducing the risk for stroke, heart attack, or other
cardiac events.
- This article is not intended to replace the
advice or attention of your doctor or other health care
professional. Do not stop taking medications or start taking
any nutrition supplement without first speaking to a qualified
health care professional.
References
1 Spence JD, Bang H, Chambless LE, Stampfer MJ. Vitamin Intervention For Stroke Prevention trial: an efficacy analysis.
Stroke. 2005 Nov;36(11):2404-9.
2 Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden LG, Loria C, Vupputuri S, Myers L, Whelton PK. Dietary intake of folate and risk of stroke in US men and women: NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Stroke. 2002 May;33(5):1183-8.
3 He
K.,Folate, vitamin B6, and B12 intakes in relation to risk of stroke
among men. Stroke. 2004 Jan;35(1):169-74
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