Tag: blood pressure

Folic Acid Lowers Blood Pressure and Prevents Blood Clots

Claus Hancke

April 19, 2005

While folic acid lowers blood pressure, the dose must be large enough to have this effect. Diet alone will not provide a significantly large enough dose, so it is essential to take folic acid as a supplement. The vitamin also simultaneously protects the heart and brain against blood clots.

It has long been documented that the B vitamin, folic acid, prevents the birth defect Spina bifida. For eight years, Canada has fortified all flour with folic acid and has thus prevented 80% of these sad cases. Enrichment is also required in the United States, but in Denmark, expectant mothers must manage on their own. It’s their own problem to find out to take a supplement – before they get pregnant!

The main source of folic acid is green vegetables (“folium” means “leaf”). Many people do not like them, and a lack of folic acid is therefore the most common vitamin deficiency. Unfortunately, this not only harms the unborn, but also adults, where it increases mortality from both blood clots in the heart and from apoplexy (blood clot in the brain). Not only that: the deficiency probably also increases the tendency to high blood pressure.

The previously unknown connection with blood pressure was discovered when 156,000 American nurses were observed for eight years. 1) Their risk of developing high blood pressure as a young adult (27-44 years old) was only half as high when they received one mg of folic acid per day as when they received only 0.2 mg. The latter amount is a very common dietary intake in both the United States and Denmark (average 0.25 mg per day). On the other hand, it is almost impossible to get 1 mg, five times as much, without supplementation.

With regard to stroke and blood clots in the heart, very interesting knowledge has emerged in recent years:

In the USA, where flour fortification was introduced in 1996, mortality from stroke has since fallen very dramatically, in all population groups and for both men and women, i.e. quite independently of lifestyle.

Before 1996, the annual decline in mortality from stroke was just over one percent and could be attributed to better treatment and prevention. But in the following three years, mortality fell 3-4 times as much, a total of 10-15%! This has only been statistically explained by the fact that the typical American now has twice as much folic acid in their blood as before. 2)

Stroke is also particularly harmful if you lack folic acid. This was recently demonstrated in mice. They were artificially induced to have a stroke by simply clamping an artery to the brain. It turned out that the brain damage was only half as extensive when the mice had received enough folic acid as when they suffered from a deficiency. 3)

But apparently folic acid also protects the heart. This was most recently revealed when Italian doctors examined approximately 900 patients who were hospitalized with and without a blood clot in the heart.

They divided all the hospitalized patients according to how much folic acid they received daily, and of the third who received the least folic acid, the researchers found that most were admitted to the cardiac ward. This third had a risk that was twice as high as those who received the most folic acid. When taking into account the intake of vitamin B6 – B6 works together with folic acid – those who received the most had a relative risk of only 29%. 4)

It is not folic acid itself that protects the heart and brain. However, folic acid lowers the blood’s level of the harmful amino acid homocysteine, which attacks blood vessels.

Approximately 10% of the population has, without knowing it, a hereditary increase in homocysteine (and therefore needs more folic acid). Recently, it has been shown that these 10% suffer from stroke significantly more often than others. 5, 6). It was already known that exactly the same is true for blood clots in the heart. 7)

No one has yet conducted blinded trials where supplementation has effectively lowered blood levels of homocysteine. This is now encouraged. 8) However, with the existing knowledge, it seems wise to take a supplement.
The ideal is perhaps 0.8 mg (800 micrograms) per day.

By: Vitality Council

References:
1. Forman JP, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Curhan GC. Folate intake and the risk of incident hypertension among US women. JAMA. 2005 Jan 19;293(3):320-9.
2. American Heart Association’s 44th annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. carole.bullock@heart.org
3. Endres M, Ahmadi M, Kruman I, Biniszkiewicz D, Meisel A, Gertz K. Folate deficiency increases postischemic brain injury. Stroke. 2005 Feb;36(2):321-5. Epub 2004 Dec 29.
4. Taivani A et al. Folate and vitamin B6 intake and risk of acute myocardial infarct in Italy. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004;58:1266-72.
5. Al-Delaimy WK, Rexrode KM, Hu FB, Albert CM, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Manson JE. Folate intake and risk of stroke among women. Stroke. 2004 Jun;35(6):1259-63.
6. Casas JP et al. Homocysteine and stroke: Evidence on a causal link from mendelian randomisation. The Lancet 2005;365: 224-32.
7. Klerk M, Verhoef P, Clarke R, Blom HJ, Kok FJ, Schouten EG; MTHFR Studies Collaboration Group. MTHFR 677C– T polymorphism and risk of coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2002 Oct 23-30;288(16):2023-31.
8. S Schwammenthal et al. Homocysteine, B-vitamin supplementation, and stroke prevention. From observational to interventional trials. Lancet Neurol. 2004;3(8):493.

jama.ama-assn.org
www.nature.com
www.stroke.org
www.thelancet.com
www.iom.dk

Folic Acid: It Seems Wise to Take a Supplement

Claus Hancke

February 7, 2005

Folic acid reduces the blood pressure, but only if you take a folic acid supplement, as you will not get enough simply through your diet. At the same time, folic acid protects your heart and brain from blood clots.

Since long, it has been documented that the B-vitamin folic acid (B9) prevents congenital neural tube defects. In Canada, all kinds of flour have been enriched with folic acid during the past 8 years, and 80% of the congenital neural tube defects have thus been prevented. In the USA, enrichment is also obligatory, but in Britain, expectant mothers are left to themselves. They have to figure out for themselves to take a supplement – before they become pregnant!

The main source of folic acid is leafy green vegetables (the latin “folium” means “leaf”). Many people do not like these leafy greens and folic acid deficiency is therefore more common than any other vitamin deficiency. Unfortunately, the deficiency probably does not only harm the unborn baby but does also increase the mortality of coronary thrombosis and cerebral apoplexy in adults. But this is not all: Folic acid deficiency probably also increases the risk of hypertension.

The connection between folic acid deficiency and hypertension that has been unknown till now was discovered when an eight-year study was concluded involving 156,000 American nurses *1). The risk of the nurses having hypertension while being 27 – 44 years of age was only half as great when they took 1 mg (1000 mcg.) of folic acid a day compared to when they took 0.2 mg. In both the US and Britain, 0.2 mg. is just below the average daily folic acid intake which is 0.25 mg. It is almost impossible to get 1 mg. of folic acid a day – which is four times as much – without taking a supplement.

With regard to apoplexy and coronary thrombosis, much interesting knowledge has been produced during recent years:
In the US, where enrichment of flour with folic acid began in 1996, the mortality rate following apoplexy has droppped dramatically – in all groups of society, that is, and for both men and women – so the results are rather regardless of lifestyle, etc.

Before 1996, the annual drop in mortality as a result of apoplexy was about 1%. This drop was the result of improved treatment and prophylaxis. However, in the succeeding three years, mortality rates dropped three times as fast, i.e. with a total of 10 – 15%! Statistically, this has been explained by the fact that the average American now has twice as much folic acid in his/her blood as before *2).

Moreover, apoplexy is far more dangerous if you are deficient in folic acid. This was recently demonstrated on mice. They were given an artificial apoplexy in that their cerebral artery was simply clamped. It turned out that the cerebral damage was only half as great in the mice that had been given enough folic acid *3).

Folic acid seems to be able to protect the heart as well. This appeared most recently when Italian doctors studied 900 patients hospitalized with or without coronary thrombosis. The patients were divided into three groups according to their estimated daily intake of folic acid. Among the patients admitted to the cardiology department, most of them belonged to the group that got the least folic acid!

The third of the patients that got the least folic acid had twice as great a risk compared to the third of the patients that got the most folic acid. When vitamin B6 intake was also taken into account (vitamin B6 collaborates with folic acid), the ones who got the most folic acid only had a relative risk of 29% *4).

It is not the folic acid itself that protects the heart and the brain. However, folic acid reduces the blood content of the harmful amino acid homocysteine which attacks the blood vessels.

About 10% of the population are unaware that they have a hereditarily increased homocysteine level in their blood (and therefore need more folic acid). Recently, it was discovered that these 10% suffer apoplexy significantly more often than others *5, 6). It was already known that these people already have an increased risk of suffering coronary thrombosis *7).

Nobody has yet performed a blinded study in which supplements have been used to efficiently lower the blood contents of homocysteine. However, this kind of research is now being encouraged *8). Yet, with our existing knowledge, it seems wise to take a folic acid supplement. The ideal dosage may be around 0.8 mg. (800 mcg.) a day.

By: Vitality Council

References:
1. Forman JP, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Curhan GC. Folate intake and the risk of incident hypertension among US women. JAMA. 2005 Jan 19;293(3):320-9.
2. American Heart Association’s 44th annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.carole.bullock@heart.org
3. Endres M, Ahmadi M, Kruman I, Biniszkiewicz D, Meisel A, Gertz K. Folate deficiency increases postischemic brain injury. Stroke. 2005 Feb;36(2):321-5.
4. Taivani A et al. Folate and vitamin B6 intake and risk of acute myocardial infarct in Italy. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004;58:1266-72
5. Al-Delaimy WK, Rexrode KM, Hu FB, Albert CM, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Manson JE. Folate intake and risk of stroke among women. Stroke. 2004 Jun;35(6):1259-63.
6. Casas JP et al. Homocysteine and stroke: Evidence on a causal link from mendelian randomisation. The Lancet 2005;365: 224-32
7. Klerk M, Verhoef P, Clarke R, Blom HJ, Kok FJ, Schouten EG; MTHFR Studies Collaboration Group. MTHFR 677C–>T polymorphism and risk of coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2002 Oct 23-30; 288(16):2023-31.
8. S Schwammenthal et al. Homocysteine, B-vitamin supplementation, and stroke prevention. From observational to interventional trials. Lancet Neurol. 2004;3(8):493-5.

jama.ama-assn.org
www.lancet.com
stroke.ahajournals.org
www.iom.dk

Dietary Supplements Reduce the Need for Medicine

Claus Hancke

March 1, 2004

Like nutrition, many supplements have a positive effect on the physiological processes of the body. A new scientific study has shown that Pycnogenol, a substance extracted from pine bark, can lower the blood pressure to such an extent that the need for hypotensive medicine is reduced by 50%.

As is the case with food, a lot of dietary supplements have a positive effect on the body’s physiological processes.

For instance, new scientific research has shown that Pycnogenol can lower the blood pressure to such an extent that the need for hypotensive medicine can be reduced by 50%.

Pycnogenol is an extract of a particular type of pine bark that is found along the French southwest coast. Pycnogenol has the effect of an antioxidant, i.e. it inhibits the damaging processes that contribute to making us ill and grow old before our time.

In recent years, studies have shown that hypertension is responsible for more than 50% of all strokes and heart attacks.

Previous studies have also shown that Pycnogenol has a long line of positive effects on the body’s functions, but the news is that it is capable of lowering the blood pressure as well.

According to a scientific article in Life Sciences (no 74;7:855-862), Professor Rohdewald from Hamburg has made a so-called double-blind, placebo-controlled trial along with colleagues from Beijing in which the trial subjects were given either 100 mg. Pycnogenol or placebo during a period of 12 weeks.

It turned out that Pycnogenol was capable of lowering the blood pressure to such an extent that the amount of hypotensive medicine (Nifedipine) could be reduced by 50% after the 12 weeks.

Socioeconomically, it might open up to interesting perspectives as almost 17 million people in the UK suffer from hypertension which increases the risk of coronary thrombosis, cardiac failure, and stroke.

The hospital expenses for cardiovascular diseases are several billion pounds a year and so are the expenses to heart medicine.

If a dietary supplement like Pycnogenol can reduce this consumption of medicine by 50%, it can turn out to be just as interesting as when Glucosamine was able to reduce the consumption of antirheumatic medicine and the number of operations for arthrosis.

By: Vitality Council

Reference:
Life Sciences 74;7:855-862.

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www.iom.dk