06 March 2013
A new Chinese data review says that daily folic acid supplementation may reduce hardening of the arteries and decrease atherosclerosis risk.
The meta-analysis included data from 10 randomized controlled trials investigating the heart health benefits of folic acid, involving a total of 2,052 people (1). The study results showed that regular supplementation with folic acid was consistently associated with significantly reduced thickening of artery walls (carotid intima-media thickness, CIMT), particularly for people with chronic kidney disease or with a high risk of severe cardiovascular disease. The benefits were most significant when folic acid intakes were associated with the greatest reductions of high homocysteine levels, which have been linked to heart disease.
The researchers concluded that increased folic acid intakes are associated with less hardening of the arterial walls, which has proved to be a good marker for both the presence of early atherosclerosis and the degree of atherosclerosis within an individual. In addition, the analysis proved, according to them, that folic acid supplementation could not possibly increase the progression of atherosclerosis, irrespective of baseline homocysteine concentrations.
Some clinical trials including participants at risk of, or already suffering from, cardiovascular disease showed no clear effect from folic acid supplementation. Experts argued that short-term supplementation with B vita-mins cannot be expected to reverse the long-term development of heart disease.
1 August 2014
A new US study reports that the regular intake of fish oil supplements may produce beneficial structural changes in the brain, countering age-related brain shrinkage.
21 January 2013
Coenzyme Q10 supplementation may improve the morphology and motility of sperm in infertile men, says a new study from the Iran.
11 January 2016
A new paper has re-examined data from the large Australian DOMInO (DHA to Optimize Mother and Infant Outcome) study which looked at the effects of an intervention with a supplement containing the marine omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the birth outcomes of 2,399 pregnant women. The intervention enabled cost savings for the hospitals – particularly in terms of shorter hospital stays – equivalent to an average of 92 AUD per singleton pregnancy (equivalent to 60 EUR or 66 USD), which equates on an annual basis to potential annual savings of between 15 to 51 million AUD (10 to 33 million EUR) for the Australian public hospital system.
