(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study shows women who consume more folate are
less likely to develop high blood pressure.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in
Boston analyzed data from two large studies, which included more than 156,000
women.
Researchers gave the women questionnaires, which asked about their folate and
supplemental folic acid intake. None of the participants had high blood pressure
at the start of the study.
Researchers found younger women in the study who consumed at least 1,000
micrograms of total folate (dietary plus supplemental) had a 46-percent reduced
risk of developing high blood pressure compared to those who consumed less than
200 micrograms of folate a day.
Researchers also say older women who consumed more folate had about an
18-percent reduced risk of developing high blood pressure.
About 65 million people in the United States have high blood pressure.
Authors of this study conclude, “Higher intake of folate is associated with a
decreased risk of incident hypertension, especially in younger women.
Supplemental folic acid appears to be independently associated with a reduction
in risk, and future trials should examine folic acid supplementation as a means
of lowering blood pressure and preventing hypertension in young women.”
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association,
2005;293:320-329
