September 15, 2005 – Norwegian researchers dismiss the hypothesis that high homocysteine levels are a significant risk factor for myocardial infarction or stroke.
At the recent congress of the European Society of Cardiology, they delivered the results of a double-blind clinical trial conducted on 4,749 patients who have already suffered a heart attack.
Their data indicates that patients who received vitamin B did see their homocysteine levels drop by about 30%. But this decline did not decrease the number of heart attacks or strokes suffered by subjects during the three years of the trial.
More and more doctors are recommending that their patients take a vitamin B supplement, usually B6 and B9, in order to lower the level of homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood. They believe this prevents cardiovascular disorders. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of patients with previous cardiovascular disease would take such supplements.
The Norwegian researchers divided the participants into four groups. All were taking the classic medication and, depending on the group, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, a mixture of the two or a placebo. Taking vitamin B6 or B9 had no effect on the number of heart attacks or strokes.
Even more troubling, the researchers report that patients who took both vitamin B6 and B9 saw their risk increase by about 20%.
The hypothesis that a high homocysteine level is a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders no longer holds, according to the team of researchers. No less than 11 other trials are underway with approximately 50,000 subjects in order to verify this new hypothesis. The results will be known within a year or two.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters and Associated Press.
