November 11, 2004 – In young women, a high intake of vitamin B9 in the diet would reduce the risk of hypertension by 29%, according to an American study. In older women, the effect would be less.
Vitamin B9, or folacin, is also called folic acid for the synthesized form serving as a supplement, and folate for that found naturally in food.
In this study1, Boston researchers followed, for eight years, 156,063 women divided into two age groups: 27 to 44 years and 43 to 70 years. The goal of the research was to see if vitamin B9 affected their blood pressure.
It was observed in the group of young women that those who consumed at least 1000 micrograms (µg) of vitamin B9 daily (food source and supplements combined) had a 46% lower risk of suffering from hypertension than those who had it. took less than 200 µg per day. In older women, the risk reduction was lower (18%), but still significant according to the researchers. The beneficial effect of folic acid is independent of other factors that may play a role in blood pressure, such as physical activity, salt and general diet.
The participants, nurses in a larger study – the Nurse’s Health study – agreed to undergo a regular full medical examination and answer a detailed questionnaire about their intake of food and vitamin supplements.
According to the authors of the study, the protective effect of vitamin B9 is due to its ability to prevent the formation of homocysteine in the blood. A high concentration of homocysteine is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin B9 thus helps to reduce damage to the arteries and promotes the dilation of blood vessels, which would have a considerable beneficial effect on blood pressure.
It should be noted that the intake of vitamin B9 which seems necessary to protect women against hypertension greatly exceeds the amounts usually recommended. Vitamin B9 is well known to pregnant women. It is recommended that they ensure that their intake of folic acid is adequate, especially early in their pregnancy, in order to promote healthy development of the fetus.
Marie france Coutu – PasseportSanté.net
According to WebMed
1. Forman JP, Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Curhan GC, Folate intake and the risk of incident hypertension among US woman, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), January 19, 2005, Vol. 293, No 3, 320-9.