| From Nutrition Newsbytes Your link to nutrition discoveries VITAMIN B6 AND FOLIC ACID ARE ARTERY-FRIENDLY Are you at high risk for arterial disease? Taking vitamin B6 and folic acid may help prevent fatty build-up in the arteries. A Netherlands study analyzed siblings of patients with diseased heart arteries who had high levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Researchers gave certain individuals 5 mg of folic acid and 250 mg of vitamin B6 daily; others, a placebo. The subjects who received the supplements were less likely to have irregular electrocardiogram readings after exercise, an indirect measure of the heart arteries' health. However, the vitamin treatment did not appear to have any effect on the arteries in the arms and legs. Several studies have shown that high blood levels of homocysteine, a protein building block, damage the lining of the blood vessels and may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Studies have also found that treatment with folic acid and vitamin B6 lower blood homocysteine levels. This study may be used as a basis for larger studies, which should be performed before developing guidelines on the use of vitamins to lower homocysteine levels, according to Dr. E.G.J. Vermeulen of Vrije University in Amsterdam. This study appears in the Feb. 12, 2000 issue of The Lancet. Reprinted with permission; Copyright 2000 Enzymatic Therapy. (Enzymatic Therapy manufactures and distributes more than 200 nutritional |