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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Taking a supplement of folic acid may not help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after all.
Previous research suggests taking more folate can lower CVD risk. But researchers from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans report the results from these studies have been inconsistent.
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Tulane University researchers analyzed previous randomized clinical trials comparing folic acid supplementation with either a placebo or the usual care for a minimum of six months. This included data from 16,958 study participants who had pre-existing vascular disease.
When they compared the results of the groups taking folic acid supplements to those of the control groups, they found the risk of CVD was 18.3 percent vs. 19.2 percent; for coronary heart disease it was 11.4 percent vs. 10.6 percent; for stroke, 4.7 percent vs. 5.8 percent; for all-cause death, 12 percent vs. 12.3 percent, respectively.
"The findings of this analysis suggest that folic acid supplementation is ineffective in the secondary prevention of CVD among persons with a history of vascular diseases," conclude the authors. "Therefore it is important to focus on strategies of proven benefit in the secondary prevention of CVD, including smoking cessation, lipid reduction, treatment of hypertension and diabetes, maintenance of a healthy weight, and physical activity."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2006;296:2720-2726
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