General Health
Folate may cut stroke risk in male smokers
By Sue Mueller
Feb 25, 2008 - 2:06:56 PM

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MONDAY FEB 25, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Eating lost of folate-rich plant foods may help smokers reduce their risk for stroke, according to a new study published in the Feb 12, 2008 issue of American Journal of Epidemiology.

The study of more than 26,000 male Finnish smokers showed male smokers who ate the highest amounts of folate (410 mg per day) were 20 percent less likely to suffer a cerebral infarction than those who had the lowest intake (210 mg per day).

The association was obtained after adjustment for age and other risk factors.

For the study, researchers from the Karolinska Institute (Stockholm) and other organizations surveyed the participants aged 50 to 69 using a validated food frequency questionnaire to calculate intakes of folate, vitamins B6 and B12 and methionine from their diet.

During the 13.6-year follow-up, 3,281 cases of stroke including cerebral infarctions, intracerebral hemorrhages and subarachnoid hemorrhages were recorded.

Susanna Larsson, lead author of the study, from Karolinska Institute said although the association did not prove a causal relation, such a relation may be possible because folic acid lowers blood homocysteine, which at high levels may cause vascular damage and increase procoagulant activity.

Analyses showed 3-micromoles per liter decrease in blood homocysteine was associated with a 19 to 24 percent reduction in stroke risk, the researchers wrote in their report.

However, vitamin B6, B12 and methionine were not associated with reduced risk of stroke.

Dietary folate is found in plant foods such as spinach, asparagus, lentils, garbanzo beans, and lima beans.  Four and baked products are often fortified with folate.