B vitamins and heart health

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/12/01 17:38:03 GMT Standard Time, mcpheej

writes:

 

But if you are taking more than 1 type of vitamin then surely they all add

together to provide the necessary protection???

Marianne

 

> It should be noted that most typical once a day vitamins that are mass

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

The Amazing Power of B Vitamins:

 

In the November 29th issue of the prestigious New England Journal of

Medicine a study was reported on concerning angioplasty (which is a

procedure in which a balloon tip catheter is threaded into an artery to push

aside fatty deposits).

 

The study involved 205 patients, which was double blinded. Half of the

patients were treated with folic acid (1,000 micrograms), B12 (400

micrograms) and B6 (10 mg) daily while the other group received inactive

placebo.

 

The study was conducted for 6 months after each patient underwent

angioplasty. In the group treated with the B vitamins, restenosis

(reblockage) of the arteries occurred in just under 20% of patients compared

to nearly 38% of patients who developed restenosis who took the placebo.

 

Patients that took the vitamins also had fewer cardiac events such as heart

attacks in the months following their procedure.

 

Results were dramatic:

 

This study is quite dramatic. By taking proper doses of B vitamins patients

were able to reduce the rate of reblockage of their arteries by an amazing

50% in just 6 short months.

 

There are no drugs that can make such a claim. In fact, the lead author of

the study, Dr. Guido Schnyder stated quite correctly " In our opinion, the

favorable cost/benefit ratio warrants treatment of all patients undergoing

angioplasty,'' said Schnyder, of the University of California, San Diego.

" Further research will hopefully be done, but not treating patients in the

meantime would withhold a potentially beneficial treatment with virtually no

side effects.''

 

The benefits of B vitamin supplementation relates to an amino acid in our

blood stream called homocysteine. Numerous studies over the last couple of

decades have demonstrated that elevations in homocysteine lead to an

increased risk of heart attack, stroke and phlebitis. Homocysteine can be

safely and easily lowered in most cases with proper supplementation with

folic acid, B6 and B12.

 

It should be noted that most typical once a day vitamins that are mass

marketed do not contain adequate amounts of these potentially life saving

nutrients. There was a study conducted by the CDC looking at the value of

the once-a-day vitamins. The study involved over 1 million Americans for a

seven year period. The conclusion of the study was that the death rate from

heart attack and stroke was no different in the once-a-day vitamin group

compared to people who took no vitamins at all. There was improvement in

mortality for those individuals that did take higher doses of antioxidants

beyond what the typical multivitamin provided.

~~~~~~~~~

 

Joan McPhee, not an M.D.

mcpheej