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gymrat
05-02-2003, 03:21 PM
B Vitamins Might Undermine Heart Stents


United Press International

By PEGGY PECK, UPI Science News

Monday, March 31, 2003



CHICAGO, Mar 30, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Heart researchers said Sunday that taking a supplement containing B vitamins including a high amount of folate, after undergoing stenting to open blocked heart arteries, might increase the risk of stent failure.

The new findings contradict an earlier published study that said folate supplements reduced the risk for restenosis, as stent failure is called.

Dr. Helmut Lange of Kardiologische Praxis, Bremen, Germany said that after taking a vitamin mix of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, there was clear evidence of new narrowing in the stented arteries. The arterial opening in vitamin-taking patients had shrunk to 1.59 millimeters on average, compared with an average diameter of 1.74 mm in stented patients who didn't take the folate supplement.

Moreover, 16 percent of folate treated patients needed subsequent procedures to re-open the artery, while only 11 percent of the patients in the placebo group required the procedure.

The research was reported at the American College of Cardiology 52nd Annual Scientific Session.

Lange told United Press International that he was surprised by the study results since an earlier study suggested that taking vitamin supplement could "reduce the rate of restenosis by half."

After those earlier results were reported, some cardiologists began recommending folate supplementation for stent patients. That recommendation, said Lange, was premature. Based on his results, Lange said that patients should be advised against starting folates after undergoing a stent procedure.

Folate supplementation decreases circulating homocysteine, which is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

"So the hypothesis was that administration of a homocysteine-lowering vitamin combination would be protective," said Lange.

In this new study, 626 stent patients were randomized to receive either folate-B6-B12 supplementation or placebo.

Lange said the patients were given high levels of folate -- 1.2mg -- as well as 48 mg of B6 and 0.06mg of B12. The high amount of folate might have influenced the results.

"The amount of folate in a multi-vitamin is 0.4mg, so we were three times that dose," he said. This super dosing could explain the results, since folate promotes cell growth and these high doses might promote an overgrowth of cells that line arteries, which could then press against the stent causing it to narrow.

Dr. David O. Williams, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and Interventional Cardiology at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, said that Lange's study was interesting, but he doesn't think it provides proof for a link between folate supplementation and stent failure.

"I wouldn't tell a patient to stop taking folate acid. What this is telling us is that the benefit reported in the earlier study is probably not 'real' but that doesn't mean this is a real risk. If they did another study, I doubt they would replicate these results."

Williams, who did not participate in the study, added that the patients in the study "were folate deficient. That is not the case with Americans." Williams chaired a press conference at which Lange discussed the study.



Copyright 2003 by United Press International.

Choke03
05-02-2003, 04:00 PM
Nice read bro, you should make this the new Article for this week and make it a sticky. Been alot of Buzz about B12 lately.
Thanks

Zeca
05-03-2003, 01:18 PM
good info bro........ you can say more vitamins doesnt mean more health.

Stickler*
01-24-2007, 01:18 PM
bump for vita-info

da_Fonz
01-24-2007, 03:59 PM
One thing to consider when taking vitamins which we should all be taking a multi ED is that to make sure its a whole foods multi. Multi's made from whole foods are more easily broken down by the body and better utilized.