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High-Dose, Short-Term
Folic Acid May Reduce
Blood Pressure...
A short-term, high-dose supplementation period
with Folic Acid (folate) may reduce blood pressure,
and improve other cardiovascular measures.
Fifteen post-menopausal women received a daily dose
of 15 mg of folate, for three weeks, and experienced an
average drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure
of 4.5 and 5.3 mmHg, respectively.
The results of the placebo-controlled study are published in the
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Whether maintained in the long term, Folate's cardiovascular and
metabolic effect may contribute to primary cardiovascular prevention
of postmenopausal women, reported the researchers from the
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Paediatrics, Obstetrics
and Gynaecology, at the Polyclinic of Modena, Italy.
The Italian researchers also reported a decrease in levels of
homocysteine of 11.8 micromoles per litre for the folate group,
compared to 8.7 micromoles per litre in the placebo group.
Studies have linked increased blood levels of the amino acid
homocysteine to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
It has been suggested that by lowering levels of homocysteine in the
blood, people could cut the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Modena-based scientists recruited 30 healthy post-menopausal
women and randomly assigned them to one of two groups. The first
received the daily Folic Acid supplementation, while the other group
received a placebo.
While the placebo was not found to modify any of the parameters,
the women in the folate group experienced drops in their nocturnal
systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, "In a way that was
significantly different from that observed during placebo", said the
researchers.
The high-dose folate supplement group also experienced significant
reductions in homocysteine levels and in insulin resistance, whereby
normal insulin amounts are inadequate to produce a normal insulin
response from fat, muscle and liver cells.
Being a small, short-term study, the results need replication in larger,
longer-term studies.
Folate is found in foods such as green leafy vegetables, chick peas
and lentils. Folic acid - the synthetic, bioavailable form of folate - is
obtained from grain products.
Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
"High-dose short-term folate administration modifies ambulatory
blood pressure in postmenopausal women.
A placebo-controlled study"
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