Folic acid supplements may help reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with a family history of high cholesterol, according to researchers.

"Folic acid therapy may provide a safe and inexpensive tool to reduce cardiovascular risk," reports a team led by Dr. Ton Rabelink, of University Hospital Utrecht in the Netherlands. Their findings are published in the July 27th issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Experts believe that folic acid -- a B vitamin found in green, leafy vegetables, orange juice, beans and fortified grains -- reduces risk for heart disease by lowering blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine.

The Dutch researchers sought to determine the effects of folate supplementation on a group of patients known to be at increased risk for heart disease due to a family history of high cholesterol. Twenty patients were asked to take either (an inactive) placebo or 5 milligrams of folic acid daily for 4 weeks, then switch over to the other regimen for a second 4-week period.

Examination of the subject's cardiovascular function revealed that folic acid supplementation improved the ability of blood vessels to dilate.

When blood vessels are flexible -- contracting or expanding in volume as needed -- risks for high blood pressure and clots may be reduced. This restoration of vessel responsiveness is especially important in patients with high cholesterol, who are at increased risk for narrowed arteries and dangerous clots.

The authors believe their findings may have "important clinical implications." Folic acid supplementation may turn out to be a cheap and effective therapy for patients with high cholesterol "who do not respond sufficiently to (cholesterol)-lowering medications," they conclude.

SOURCE: Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association 1999;100:335-338.

The news story is from Reuters News Service

NEW YORK, Aug 04

(Reuters Health)