Expecting mothers with a diet lacking in plant proteins, iron,
magnesium, and niacin may be up to five times more likely to have a
baby with spina bifida, suggests a new study from the Netherlands.
Multivitamins containing folic acid appear to be more effective at
preventing neural tube defects than high dose folic acid
supplements, suggests a new review, attempting to resolve the
debate over how women should consume the essential...
Thirteen popular multivitamin products failed a ConsumerLab test
because of lead contamination, lower ingredient levels than stated,
and/or inability to fully break apart for absorption, writes Wai
Lang Chu.
Folic acid - the B vitamin found commonly in supplements and
increasingly in a wide range of bread products - is already known
to prevent severe birth defects and to lower risk of death from
heart disease. But it could also help to...
Breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid and other B vitamins
could help consumers protect against heart disease by lowering
levels of homocysteine, suggests new research.
Black women may need to increase their folic acid intake, as a new
report shows that higher levels of the amino acid homocysteine and
less folic acid than white women could be increasing their risk of
preeclampsia during pregnancy.
Evidence continues to mount suggesting a link between various
stages of depression and low blood levels of the B vitamin folate,
according to research funded by the Agricultural Research Service
in the US.
Evidence continues to mount suggesting a link between various
stages of depression and low blood levels of the B vitamin folate,
according to research funded by the Agricultural Research Service
in the US.
A high dietary folate intake may play a role in reducing the risk
of ovarian cancer, especially among women who consume alcohol,
report Swedish researchers.
Fortifying enriched grain products with folic acid in the 1990s
appears to have been followed by a decline in stroke and ischemic
heart disease deaths, US government researchers reported at an
American Heart Association conference...
Mineral water fortified with folic acid and a handful of vitamins
can reduce plasma homocysteine levels, a risk factor in
cardiovascular disease, report Finnish researchers this month. In a
separate study on mineral water German researchers...
Danish ingredients company Danisco has received GRAS status for its
betaine product used in heart-healthy supplements, opening up new
market opportunities for the methyl donor and osmolyte.
Taking high-dose vitamins to reduce levels of the amino acid
homocysteine, thought to reduce heart disease risk, appears to do
little to prevent a second stroke in patients, show results out
today from a major international trial.
Elderly people should consider taking supplements of B vitamins as
many are deficient in the nutrients, thought to protect against
heart disease, argue German researchers in a new study.
Folic acid food fortification has more than halved the incidence in
Canada of the deadly childhood cancer neuroblastoma, report
researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children and the University
of Toronto. They plan to investigate...
Elderly people could gain some protection against cognitive decline
by taking B vitamins to reduce levels of homocysteine, after
researchers find the amino acid is a modest predictor of mental
performance.
Biacore International has had its food analysis kit, used for the
rapid routine testing of the vitamin food supplement folic acid,
fully validated and certified as a Performance Tested Method by the
Association of Analytical Communities...
Fortifying foods with folic acid may not reduce the incidence of
Down's syndrome, say University of Toronto researchers, although
they suggest we may to need to wait for the next generation of
women to give birth before the their...
Mandatory addition of folic acid to cereals and grains in the US
may be dangerously concealing vitamin B12 deficiency in the
elderly, said a scientist this week. B12 is needed to protect
against deterioration of brain cells.
Taking folate supplements may help suppress depression suggests a
new study, which found that problems metabolizing the B vitamin may
be causing increased incidence of the condition.
There is still insufficient evidence to determine whether vitamins
can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease or cancer, concludes
a report by researchers in the US, revealing the gaps which should
be targeted by further research.
Supplement maker Source Naturals has introduced a folate supplement
which it claims is more readily absorbed by the body. The product
is designed for people who are unable to process the essential
vitamin folate efficiently.
Folic acid, found to lower plasma homocysteine levels, did not
prevent heart attacks and strokes in heart disease patients
receiving supplements of the vitamin, report researchers in the
Netherlands.
A combination of daily followed by weekly iron supplementation
appears to be the answer for treating severe anemia in babies in
the developing world, according to a new French - Vietnamese study.
An adequate intake of folic acid during pregnancy, believed to
protect against neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies, may also help
prevent Down's syndrome, researchers report in The Lancet
this week.
High doses of three common vitamins - folic acid, B12 and B6 - may
be able to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, if the
early results of a pilot study are further confirmed.
A higher intake of folate and possibly vitamin B6 may reduce the
risk of developing breast cancer, report researchers in the US,
particularly among those women who drink regularly and are
therefore at higher risk of the disease.
A Chinese population-based study provides strong evidence that
women who take folic acid supplements during pregnancy do not have
an increased likelihood of having a multiple birth, according to
the results in this week's issue...
Researchers in the Netherlands studying people with a genetically
determined, reduced breakdown of the amino acid homocysteine, may
have found further proof of the connection between folic acid
deficiency and the risk of heart disease.
Food fortification with vitamins and minerals is one of the most
effective methods to improve health and prevent nutritional
deficiencies, say researchers in a new study, which reviews
fortification programmes carried out in the US....
Despite the growing view that vitamin B and folic acid supplements
could protect against the onset of heart disease, researchers from
Australia say they have found no link between blood folate levels
and death from heart disease in...
Folic acid could dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease,
deep vein thrombosis and stroke according to researchers in this
week's British Medical Journal. Scientists report that the
vitamin can reduce levels of homocysteine...
A study of more than 400 Swedish women has found that folate
deficiency was associated with a 50 per cent increase in risk of
early miscarriage. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in
Stockholm, Sweden, also found that high folate...
Folic acid is not only a safeguard against spina bifida and other
birth defects in babies - it can also prevent heart disease and
strokes, two of Northern Ireland's biggest killers, according to
research from the University of...
Taking a combination of folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 over
a six-month period can help prevent the recurrence of blocked
arteries in patients who have undergone coronary angioplasty,
according to a study published this week.
Fortification of grain with folic acid can have a significant
effect on reducing the incidence of neural tube defects in
children, according to research published this week in the
Canadian Medical Association Journal.
British biochemist David Bender contends that most nutrients are a
waste of time, and that the so-called evidence to show their
apparent benefits either ignores the potential risks or focuses
only on certain results - a claim which...
A combination of high levels of homocysteine and low levels of
vitamin B12 is a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
among African Americans, according to a paper presented today at
the International Conference on...
Pregnant women who take multivitamins can help reduce the risk of
their child having a major heart, limb or facial defect, according
to the latest research from scientists in the US.
Scientists from Belfast have shown that folate supplementation can
help reduce the risk of contracting colon cancer - an interesting
discovery given the UK's recent decision not to go ahead with the
fortification of flour with...
British men are being asked to suffer in the name of science and
drink a litre of beer a day. Researchers from the Institute of Food
Research in Norwich are investigating whether the folate in beer
can help reduce the risk of heart...
Almost 70 per cent of American women of childbearing age fail to
take the B vitamin folic acid every day even though many of them
are aware it helps prevent birth defects, according to the latest
survey by the March of Dimes organisation.
The chairman of the UK Food Standard's Agency (FSA) responds to
criticism of the agency's decision not to introduce folic acid
fortification in Britain.
In a second folic acid story today we report that folic acid
supplements could help keep the arteries healthy and protect
against heart disease, according to researchers in the UK, China
and Australia.
More research is needed into the effects of fortifying flour with
folic acid, according to the UK Food Standards Agency, which has
decided not to recommend fortification to the British government.
As the UK considers whether to fortify flour with folic acid in a
bid to improve the health of the nation, not everyone is convinced
of the benefits of such a move.
Supplementing the diet with folic acid and zinc can have a
significant effect on improving semen quality in sub-fertile men,
according to recent research from the Netherlands.
Folic acid has received a lot of positive press in recent weeks,
and the benefits of the B vitamin continue to hit the headlines. In
Canada, the government has just launched a major campaign promoting
its effects in combating birth...
American pharmacy students are startlingly unaware of the benefits
of folic acid, according to a three-year study carried out by
researchers at Midwestern University.