A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations
<p>Background & Aims: At least 500 μg of folic acid are required daily to treat hyperhomocysteinemia. To reach this amount by dietary changes alone may be difficult because food has a low folic acid content and bioavailability. No studies have compared the effects of similar amoun...
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2005-04-01
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doaj-a5998e16e0c04172a4134499f92550162020-11-24T23:54:30ZengIvyspring International PublisherInternational Journal of Medical Sciences1449-19072005-04-01225863A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations<p>Background & Aims: At least 500 μg of folic acid are required daily to treat hyperhomocysteinemia. To reach this amount by dietary changes alone may be difficult because food has a low folic acid content and bioavailability. No studies have compared the effects of similar amounts of additional folate derived from a combination of folate-rich and fortified foods or folic acid from supplements on plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations, which was the aim of this study. Methods: Twenty male patients with hyperhomocysteinemia and coronary artery disease were included in a randomized, crossover intervention trial. Patients were treated daily with a combination of foods containing approximately 500 μg of folate or with one 500 μg capsule of synthetic folic acid over two five-week periods separated by a five-week wash-out period. Results: Plasma folate increased markedly (p<0.001) and plasma tHcy decreased (p<0.001) with both therapies. Folate-rich foods decreased tHcy by 8.6% (95% CI: –15.9 to –1.2) and synthetic folic acid capsules by 8% (95% CI: –13.3 to –2.7). Conclusions: This study shows, for the first time in the literature, that a folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid capsules in decreasing plasma tHcy concentrations and adds further support to the recommendation of those diets to prevent cardiovascular disease.</p>http://www.medsci.org/v02p0058.htmFolatedietfolic acidhomocysteine. |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
title |
A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations |
spellingShingle |
A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations International Journal of Medical Sciences Folate diet folic acid homocysteine. |
title_short |
A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations |
title_full |
A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations |
title_fullStr |
A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations |
title_full_unstemmed |
A folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations |
title_sort |
folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid from supplements in decreasing plasma homocysteine concentrations |
publisher |
Ivyspring International Publisher |
series |
International Journal of Medical Sciences |
issn |
1449-1907 |
publishDate |
2005-04-01 |
description |
<p>Background & Aims: At least 500 μg of folic acid are required daily to treat hyperhomocysteinemia. To reach this amount by dietary changes alone may be difficult because food has a low folic acid content and bioavailability. No studies have compared the effects of similar amounts of additional folate derived from a combination of folate-rich and fortified foods or folic acid from supplements on plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations, which was the aim of this study. Methods: Twenty male patients with hyperhomocysteinemia and coronary artery disease were included in a randomized, crossover intervention trial. Patients were treated daily with a combination of foods containing approximately 500 μg of folate or with one 500 μg capsule of synthetic folic acid over two five-week periods separated by a five-week wash-out period. Results: Plasma folate increased markedly (p<0.001) and plasma tHcy decreased (p<0.001) with both therapies. Folate-rich foods decreased tHcy by 8.6% (95% CI: –15.9 to –1.2) and synthetic folic acid capsules by 8% (95% CI: –13.3 to –2.7). Conclusions: This study shows, for the first time in the literature, that a folate-rich diet is as effective as folic acid capsules in decreasing plasma tHcy concentrations and adds further support to the recommendation of those diets to prevent cardiovascular disease.</p> |
topic |
Folate diet folic acid homocysteine. |
url |
http://www.medsci.org/v02p0058.htm |
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1725466034496864256 |