To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Two B Vitamins May Reduce Risk For Heart Disease In Women URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/57DAE.htm Doctor's Guide February 3, 1998
CHICAGO, IL -- February 3, 1998 -- Increasing intake of folate and vitamin B6 above current recommended levels may protect women from developing coronary heart disease (CHD), according to an article in tomorrow's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Eric Rimm, Sc.D., from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA., and colleagues studied the relationship between folate and vitamin B6 (both components of vitamin B complex) to the incidence of heart attack and CHD in 80,082 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. After adjusting for age, the researchers found that when comparing women in the highest and lowest quintiles of folic acid intake, women in the highest quintile had a 47 percent reduced risk for CHD. For vitamin B6, the women in the highest quintile had a 51 percent reduced risk for CHD. "Higher intakes of folate from food or supplements, alone or in combination with vitamin B6, are associated with substantially lower risk of CHD among women," the researchers write. The largest contributors to overall intake of folate were multiple vitamins, cold cereal, orange juice, lettuce, eggs, broccoli and spinach. The largest contributors of vitamin B6 were multiple vitamins, beef, cold breakfast cereal, potatoes, bananas, chicken, milk and tuna fish. The researchers also found that women who consumed alcohol experienced the strongest apparent benefit from a high folate diet. The authors caution that the cardiovascular benefits of moderate alcohol consumption may be partially offset by a low folate intake. Folate and vitamin B6 play an important role in metabolism. Intake of these vitamins above the RDA reduces homocysteine levels. Current RDA for folate is 180 micrograms (mcg) per day and for vitamin B6 is 1.6 milligrams (mg)per day. The authors found the lowest risk for CHD in women with folate intakes above 400 mcg per day and vitamin B6 above 3 mg per day. "Our results suggest that any widespread increase in folate intake will have a favorable impact on CHD rates, but the maximum benefit would be achieved at folate intake of at least 400 mcg a day," the authors write. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.