Vitamin B2 Reduces Blood Pressure

COLERAINE, IrelandRiboflavin (vitamin B2, a cofactor for MTHFR) is effective in reducing blood pressure, specifically in patients with the MTHFR 677 TT genotype, according to a recent Irish study (J Hypertens. 2010;28(3):478486). Researchers investigated 197 premature cardiovascular disease  (CVD)patients, prescreened for the MTHFR 677CT polymorphism, from an original cohort of 404 to select those with the TT genotype (n=60) and a similar number with heterozygous (CT; n=85) or wild-type (CC; n=75) genotypes. Of these, 181 completed an intervention in which participants were randomized within each genotype group to receive 1.6 mg/d of riboflavin or placebo for 16 weeks.

Among patients taking one or more antihypertensive drugs at recruitment (82 percent), researchers observed target blood pressure (less than 140/90 mmHg) was achieved in only 37 percent of patients with the TT genotype compared with 59 percent with the CT and 64 percent with the CC genotype (P<0.001). Riboflavin intervention reduced mean blood pressure specifically in those with the TT genotype, with no response observed in the other genotype groups. The findings, if confirmed, may have important implications for the prevention and treatment of hypertension.