Higher Vitamin-B Intake Could Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk!

In order to prevent heart disease and stroke (cardiovascular disease), people might need to consume more foods that contain folate and Vitamin-B6.

Folate, also known as Vitamin-Bg, is a water-soluble Vitamin-B that is contained naturally in food. The synthetic form of folate found in supplements is known as folic acid. Folate can be found in leafy vegetables (like spinach and turnip greens), fruits (like citrus fruits and juices), fortified cereals, and dried beans and peas. Vegetables, fish, liver, meats, whole grains, and fortified cereals are good sources of Vitamin-B6.

A group of researchers from Osaka University, who published their findings in Stroke (Journal of the American Heart Association), reported that eating more foods rich in folate and Vitamin-B6 could lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease for Japanese women and might cut the risk of heart failure in Japanese men.

The dietary consumption of Vitamin-B6 is generally considered low in Japan than in the United States but the findings were consistent with those studies conducted in Europe and North America.

As part of the large Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study, data collected through completed food frequency questionnaires from 23,119 men and 35,611 women, aged between 40 and 79, were analyzed. All the participants were followed for a period of 14 years and it was found that 986 died from stroke, 424 from heart disease and 2,087 from all diseases related to cardiovascular system.

Based on intake of folate, Vitamin-B6 and Vitamin-B12, the participants were divided into 5 groups. The researchers found that with higher intake of folate and Vitamin-B6, number of men died of heart failure was significantly lower, and number of women died from stroke, heart disease and total cardiovascular diseases was significantly fewer. However, people taking higher Vitamin-B12 were not associated with lower death risk.

According to the researchers, folate and Vitamin-B6 might reduce homocysteine levels in the body by breaking them down thus help prevent cardiovascular disease.

Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood that is affected by diet and genetic factors. A high level of homocysteine might raise the risk of getting coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Would Vitamin Prevent Heart Disease?

Many studies have shown that vitamins such as Vitamin-C and Vitamin-E will help prevent heart disease. However, there is also research that highlighted the harmful side of vitamin.

Just like a nutrition scientist at MedStar Research Institute of Hyattsville, Maryland said, people should not just look at whether vitamin could help but should also worry about the potential harms vitamin will cause.

For instance, in a previous study, male smokers taking Vitamin-E had a high risk of bleeding strokes, while several other studies also found that Vitamin-E did not benefit heart health. Meanwhile, some research even suggested Vitamin-C might aid cancer instead of fighting it. A previous study on women at high risk of heart disease also indicated that Vitamin-C did not help prevent heart attack for these women.

In fact, a few long-term studies have been done to find out the effect of Vitamin on heart health. The latest one is co-called the “Physical Health Study” conducted by Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and several vitamin makers, commenced in 1997 that involved 14,641 male doctors aged 50 or older, with 5 percent of whom already had heart disease. These participants were divided into 4 groups and each given either Vitamin-C, Vitamin-E, both or dummy pills. The researchers prescribed 400 international units of Vitamin-E on every other day and 500 mg Vitamin-C on a daily basis.

After an average of 8 years, it was found that there was no difference in the rates of heart attack, stroke or heart-related deaths among the 4 groups. Nevertheless, there were 39 men in the group prescribed with Vitamin-E suffered bleeding strokes yet only 23 were found in other groups. In other word, there was a 74 percent greater risk of bleeding strokes for vitamin-takers.

Since the results were so clear, the researchers argued that they would be unlikely to change even if the study were done in women, minorities, or with different formulations of the vitamins. They even suggested people should save some money by stopping to buy these supplements.

Another study on Vitamin-B12 and Vitamin-B9 (folic acid) also found that these vitamins did not really prevent heart disease, which supported the results of the previous trials. The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Oxford in England, and it involved more than 12,000 heart attack survivors.

Can B Vitamins Really Reduce Heart Risk for Women?

It is believed that a high level of homocysteine in the bloodstream could damage arteries and it has been linked to blood clots, strokes and heart attacks.

Homocysteine is a chemical compound, which is produced naturally by the body. In rare cases, some children may have levels that are out of control, and will be given heavy doses of folic acid and Vitamins B6 and B12 to break it down. Previous research has already shown that level of homocysteine will rise when one of these vitamins is insufficient. However, it is unclear if lowering elevated homocysteine levels in the “general population” will actually prevent heart disease.

A recent study by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston showed that giving folic acid and B Vitamins supplements fails to protect women from heart disease. The findings, published on May 6, 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, questioned whether addressing a marker for heart disease (in this case, homocysteine) can really prevent heart attacks or strokes.

The study followed female patients of age 42 or older for more than 7 years. These women, either were at risk for heart disease, or had already experienced heart problems. On a daily basis, 2.5 milligrams of folic acid, 50 milligrams of Vitamin B6, and 1 milligram of vitamin B12 were given to half the 5,442 participants, while a placebo was distributed to the rest.

During the 7-year study, it was observed that though no harm came from the B vitamins, the homocysteine levels fell by nearly one-fifth in the first group, yet there was no noticeable difference in the incidence of heart problems or heart-related deaths, as compared with the placebo group.

It is reported that large-scale studies examining homocysteine and the impact on heart disease are under way in Europe.

In the United States and Canada, folic acid has been added by law to white floor and grain products since the late 1990s. However, European flour is not routinely supplemented. Therefore, it is expected people in Europe will have homocysteine levels are likely higher and the impact of lowering them may be better seen.

Until further data become available, it is perhaps best to base on the available evidence. One should not forget that experimental and observational data do not always translate into therapeutic benefits.