Folic Acid Supplements for Stroke Prevention

People who took folic acid supplements along with a medication for high blood pressure called enalapril (Vasotec) were less likely to have a stroke than people who took folic acid alone.

Folic acid supplements together with a medication for high blood pressure called enalapril (Vasotec) reduces the risk of stroke, revealed Chinese researchers.

Researchers studied more than 20,000 adults in China with high blood pressure with no history of stroke or heart attack. 4.5 years after the commencement of the study, 2.7% of those in the enalapril-folic acid group had a stroke, compared to 3.4% in the enalapril group. The results were more pronounced in participants with lower folate levels. However, researchers were unable to see any difference between the two groups when it came to the risk of major hemorrhagic stroke, heart attack, death, or complications.

Folic Acid Supplements Not Beneficial for Heart
The use of folic acid supplements does not appear to be associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular events, cancer or death over a five-year period, a new meta-analysis has shown.

"For many populations, achieving adequate levels from diet alone is difficult because of expense or availability. This study seems to support fortification programs where feasible," said the researchers.

The study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Source-Medindia

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