Folic Acid may Help to Cut Down the Stroke Risk

June 01, 2007 at 4:55 PM Diet & Nutrition News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
Folic Acid may Help to Cut Down the Stroke Risk
Folic acid supplements can reduce the risk of stroke by up to 30 percent, according to researchers.

B-vitamin is already recommended for women who have just got pregnant or are trying to conceive because it protects against birth defects.

A new study now suggests that folic acid, a nutrient known to reduce homocysteine levels in the blood, also improves the health of arteries.

The vitamin is known to lower levels of homocysteine in the blood, an amino acid believed to boost the danger of stroke, heart disease and deep vein thrombosis.

Scientists, led by Professor Xiaobin Wang, from Northwestern University in Chicago, US, combined together the Lancet review of eight folic acid trials, centering on stroke.

They found that folic acid supplementation reduced the risk of stroke by an average 18 percent.

More thorough examination showed that long periods of treatment lasting over 36 months could reduce the risk by 30 percent.

No big reduction was seen if homocysteine did not drop, supporting the idea that this protein may be a significant stroke risk factor.

Professor Wang's team recommended more research, among individuals with no history of stroke who are from regions without grain fortification, with longer follow-up - four years or longer.

"Some recent studies have suggested that folic acid has even wider health benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease, bone disease and stroke. However, further work is needed to establish whether folic acid does or does not have these additional effects,” the BBC quoted a spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency, as saying.

Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X

Medwonders Health Network

  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
Stroke
Complete Medindia Resources
News Categories:  
Vision Health Center

Diet & Nutrition Related News

» Olympic Athlete's Body Via the 80-10-10 Raw Vegan Diet » Importance of Canned Foods To Help Tackle IOM Weight Of The Nation Recommendations, Highlights Study
» US Rules Pomegranate Juice Claims Deceptive » Reducing Entrée Size Could Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Children
» Dieters Should Eat 300 Calories Less to Avoid Regaining Lost Weight After Dieting » Doctors Advise People to Eat Healthy Food to Stay Cool This Summer
» Link Between Meat Consumption and Masculinity » First Study to Explore the Benefits of Fish Oils at the Cellular Level
Read More >>