Low Vitamin B6 Linked to Higher Risk of Stroke
30
June 2003
by Wyn Snow, Managing Editor
Researchers
at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
have investigated the relationship between strokes and levels of
both vitamin B6 and homocystine in patients' blood.
In
1998, the US began fortifying cereal grains with folate. One result
has been the lowering of homocystine levels in the population at
large. The researchers wanted to know the impact of such fortification
on the occurrence of strokes.
The
study compared patients suffering from both strokes and transient
ischemic attacks (temporary blockage of artery) with matched controls.
They found that serum levels of vitamin B6 among the stroke patients
were less than half that of the control groupa correlation
of very strong significance (P<0.0001). Serum levels of homocystine
in the two groups were not significantly different.
Source
P.
J. Kelly et al. Abstract of "Transient Ischemic Attack in the Era
of Folic Acid Grain Fortification." Stroke, Vol 34, No 6,
pages E51-4, June 2003. On PubMed: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&
db=PubMed&list_uids=12738890&dopt=Abstract.
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