According to a study published online in the journal Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, scientists from the Graduate School of Medicine at Osaka University have found that high dietary intake of folate and vitamin B₆ reduces the risk of death from stroke in women and may also reduce the risk of heart failure in men.

Researchers analyzed data from 23,119 men and 35,611 women aged 40-79 years who filled out food frequency questionnaires. After an average of 14 years of follow-up, 986 of the study participants died from stroke, 424 died from coronary heart disease, and 2087 died from any cardiovascular cause. The researchers compared the participants’ intake of folate, vitamin B₆, and vitamin B₁₂ and found that female participants who had the highest intake of folate and vitamin B₆ also had a significantly decreased risk of death from stroke, heart disease, and any cardiovascular cause. Among men, those with the highest folate and vitamin B₆ intake had a significantly lower risk of death from heart failure. These decreases in risk continued to be statistically significant even after adjustment for the existence of cardiovascular risk factors.

Although further research is needed to identify exactly how folate and vitamin B₆ affect stroke and other cardiovascular disease risk, the researchers suggest that the mechanism might involve the effects of these vitamins on homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that has been associated with a higher risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Folate and vitamin B₆ help to break down homocysteine in the body. In addition, low folate levels in the blood have been associated with a higher risk of fatal stroke and heart disease.

Source:

Stroke. Published online 15 April 2010.