Folic Acid, B12 May Not Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

Folic Acid, B12 May Not Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

NEDLANDS, Australia--Folic acid and vitamin B12may not protect against death from coronary heart disease (CHD) orcardiovascular disease (CVD), according to research out of the University ofWestern Australia that was printed in the Jan. 18 issue of the BritishMedical Journal (326:131, 2003) (www.bmj.com).Researchers analyzed the 1969 Busselton health survey, a cohort of 1,419 men and1,513 women ages 20 to 90 years, 78.4 percent of whom had no record of CVD atthe original survey. During the follow-up, 213 men and 159 women died from CHDand 342 men and 302 women died from CVD. When researchers analyzed these eventswith serum and red cell folate concentrations, a moderate positive correlationwas uncovered, although researchers stated serum red cell folate and B12concentrations were not strongly correlated with each other or with otherstandard risk factors. After researchers adjusted for age and standard riskfactors, they did not see an independent association between folate or B12concentrations and death from CHD or CVD in those with no heart problems atbaseline.