International Community Addresses Folic Acid
By Joan Unger, RN, MS, ARNP-C
Just how effective are supplements? Colleagues in Germany, Ireland, and South Africa report studies with results comparable to U.S. research findings.
Dierkes, Kroesen, and Pietrzik of the University of Bonn, Germany, investigated the effect of single vitamins on plasma homocysteine levels in healthy young women who ingested folic acid (400 mcg), vitamin B6 (2 mg) daily for four weeks. The researchers found the combination reduced homocysteine by 17%, and folic acid alone reduced homocysteine by 11.5%. Vitamin B6 alone had no effect on homocysteine concentrations.1
Woodside, Varnell, McMaster, et al at The Queen's University of Belfast in the United Kingdom, studied 101 healthy working men, ages 30-49, to investigate the effect of B-group vitamins, antioxidant supplements, or placebo on mildly elevated homocysteine levels. In eight weeks, groups receiving B vitamins, with or without antioxidants, demonstrated significant decreases in homocysteine levels of 32% and 30%, respectively (P<0.001). B-group vitamins alone reduced homocysteine 27.9%, whereas antioxidants alone produced an insignificant increase of 5.1%. The researchers concluded supplementation with B-group vitamins may effectively reduce cardiovascular risk.2
Ubbink, Vermaak, and van der Merwe, et al, at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, treated 100 men with folic acid (0.65 mg), B12 (o.4 mg), B6 (10 mg), or a combination for six weeks. Folic acid reduced homocysteine by 41.7% (P<0.001), B12 by 14.8% (P<0.01), and B6 did not significantly reduce homocysteine concentrations. The combined vitamins reduced circulating homocysteine by 49.8%.3
References
1. Dierkes J, Kroesen DJ, Pietrzik K. Folic acid and Vitamin B6 supplementation and plasma homocysteine concentrations in healthy young women. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 1998;68:98-103.
2. Woodside JV, Yarnell JW, McMaster D, et al. Effect of B-group vitamins and antioxidant vitamins on hyperhomocysteinemia: A double-blind, randomized, factorial-design, controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutrition 1998;67:858-866.
3. Ubbink JB, Vermaak WJ, van der Merwe A, et al. Vitamin requirements for the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia in humans. J Nutrition 1994;124:1927-1933.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content