Higher folII take folate again

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1)Higher folate intake associated with decreased risk of hypertension

in women

P. Forman, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard

Medical School, Boston and colleagues analyzed data from two studies

(93,803 younger women aged 27 to 44 years in the Nurses' Health Study

II [1991-1999] and 62,260 older women aged 43 to 70 years in the

Nurses' Health Study I [1990-1998]). The participants did not have a

history of hypertension. Baseline information on dietary folate and

supplemental folic acid intake was derived from food frequency

questionnaires and was updated every four years.

Hypertension affects an estimated 65 million individuals in the U.S.

and many more worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine

whether higher folate intake is associated with a lower risk of

hypertension.

The researchers found that younger women who consumed at least 1,000

micrograms a day of total folate (dietary plus supplemental) had a 46

percent decreased risk of hypertension, compared with those who

consumed less than 200 micrograms a day of total folate. Older women

with high total folate intake also had a 18 percent reduced risk of

hypertension.

http://www2.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-01/jaaj-hfi011305.php

2)Folic Acid May Fight High Blood Pressure

Effect of Diet, Supplements Greater Among Younger Women

By Warner

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By , MD

on Tuesday, January 18, 2005

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Jan. 18, 2005 -- Women who get a lot of folic acid in their diet or

through supplements are less likely to have high blood pressure.

A new study shows that younger women who got at least 1,000 micrograms

of folic acid a day from their diet or supplements had a 46% lower

risk of developing high blood pressure.high blood pressure.

Folic acid is a B-complex vitamin found naturally in leafy green

vegetables, citrus fruits, and lentils. Folic acid, also known as

folate, can also be found in vitamin supplements and fortified foods

such as breads and breakfast cereals.

Researchers say folic acid is thought to reduce the risk of high blood

pressure by helping blood vessels relax and improve blood flow.

Previous studies have shown that diets rich in folic acid can improve

blood pressure, but researchers say this is the first study to show

that higher folic acid intake is associated with a lower risk of

developing high blood pressure.

High blood pressure affects an estimated 65 million people in the U.S.

Since the risk of developing high blood pressure increases with age,

researchers say identifying ways to reduce a person's risk of the

disease through diet and lifestyle could have a major impact on public

health.

In the study, which appears in the Jan. 19 issue of The Journal of the

American Medical Association, researchers analyzed diet and blood

pressure information from more than 150,000 women. None of the women

had a history of high blood pressure.

Information on folic acid from dietary sources and supplements was

collected from the women and updated every four years.

Which Is Better? Diet or Supplements

The results showed that women aged 27 to 44 years who got at least

1,000 micrograms a day of folic acid from their diet and supplements

were 46% less likely to develop high blood pressure than women who got

less than 200 micrograms per day.

Women aged 43 to 70 years also experienced a blood pressure benefit

from folic acid. Among these women, those who had a higher folic acid

intake had an 18% lower risk of high blood pressure.

Although total folic acid intake was linked to a lower risk of high

blood pressure, researchers say their results show that folic acid

supplementation may play a more significant role in preventing high

blood pressure.high blood pressure.

They found a significant relationship between folic acid

supplementation and high blood pressure risk, but the relationship

between folic acid from food sources and blood pressure risk was not

clear.

The results indicate that the beneficial effects of folic acid

supplementation on lowering blood pressure risk were greatest among

younger women. Researchers say these results could have important

public health implications because women of childbearing age are

already advised to take vitamins that contain folic acid in order to

reduce the risk of birth defects.

SOURCE: Forman, J. The Journal of the American Medical Association,

Jan. 19, 2005; vol 293: pp 320-329.

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/99/105237.htm

3)Folate Supplements Good for Women's Blood Pressure

Tue Jan 18, 2005 04:42 PM ET

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Higher intake of folic acid is associated

with a decreased risk of developing high blood pressure, particularly

among younger women, according to Harvard researchers.

Small studies have suggested that high-dose folic acid supplementation

may lower blood pressure, Dr. P. Forman and colleagues note in

this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, but there

have been no large, forward-looking studies examining this issue.

The team analyzed information on nearly 94,000 women ages 27 to 44

years participating in the Nurses' Health Study II, none of whom had

high blood pressure when the study began. Their folate intake was

estimated based on food questionnaires and information regarding

folate-containing supplements.

During 8 years of follow-up, 7373 of the women developed hypertension.

After adjusting for factors such as physical activity, weight and

family history, women who consumed at least 1000 micrograms per day of

total folate had a 46 percent lower risk of becoming hypertensive

compared with those with an intake less than 200 micrograms per day.

Forman's team also examined data on more than 62,000 older women (43

to 70 years of age) in the Nurses' Health Study I, among whom 12,347

developed high blood pressure.

In this group, the risk of hypertension was reduced 18 percent for the

highest versus lowest folate intake.

The benefit came primarily from folate supplementation rather than

dietary folate, the researchers found.

This may be because relatively few subjects consumed very high

quantities of dietary folate, or perhaps folate from supplements is

more readily used by the body.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, January 18, 2

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews & storyID=7360378

4)Raising HDL May Limit Heart Disease Progression

Tue Jan 18, 2005 03:22 PM ET

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By Rauscher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people with low levels of " good " (HDL)

cholesterol and coronary disease, treatment aimed at increasing HDL

levels is worthwhile, researchers report.

Dr. A. Krasuski told Reuters Health that when patients' HDL

was increased in a study, " we had direct evidence that not only did

coronary plaques stop progressing but they actually regressed. "

In addition, " the risk of heart events went down by 52 percent. "

Krasuski, from the Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force

Base in Houston, Texas, and his colleagues studied 143 retired

military personnel with heart disease and low HDL who were randomly

assigned to inactive " placebo " treatment or aggressive

HDL-cholesterol-raising therapy with gemfibrozil, niacin, and

cholestyramine for 30 months. They also received diet and exercise

counseling.

Individuals in the active treatment arm had a 20 percent decrease in

total cholesterol, a 36 percent increase in HDL cholesterol, a 26

percent decrease in LDL ( " bad " ) cholesterol, and a 50 percent

reduction in triglycerides, compared with the placebo group.

Narrowing of the coronary arteries improved by 0.8 percent in

individuals on active therapy and worsened by 1.4 percent in those on

placebo, the team found.

Moreover, significantly more individuals on placebo than on active

therapy experienced events such as a heart attack, stroke or the need

for heart surgery (26 percent vs 13 percent).

Side effects such as flushing and stomach upsets were reported more

often with active therapy " but rarely led to withdrawal from the

study, " the investigators report in the ls of Internal Medicine.

They point out that it is not known whether the improvements were due

to reductions in LDL or increases in HDL cholesterol. Nonetheless,

Krasuski told Reuters Health that he believes this study is " extremely

important. "

" We know very well that lowering LDL makes plaques in arteries smaller

and reduces the risk of heart attacks, stroke and death. We also know

that naturally having higher levels of HDL is good for patients and

places them at lower risk of heart disease, " he explained.

" Previous studies focusing on heart disease patients have shown that

raising HDL with medications either stop plaques in the arteries from

getting larger or prevents heart events, but no previous study

focusing on HDL has shown both -- until this study. Our study finally

ties this together, " he said.

Krasuski said he " strongly believes that HDL will soon become an

important target in the treatment for patients with cardiovascular

disease. "

SOURCE: ls of Internal Medicine, January 18, 2005.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews & storyID=7359656