05.27.08
Indication: Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Source: JAMA, May 7, 2008;299(17):2027-2036
Research: The objective of this study was to test whether a combination of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 could lower the risk of CVD among high-risk women with and without CVD. Within an ongoing randomized trial of antioxidant vitamins, 5442 women who were U.S. health professionals aged 42 years or older, with either a history of CVD or three or more coronary risk factors, were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to receive a combination pill containing folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 or a matching placebo, and were treated for over 7 years, from April 1998 through July 2005.
Results: Compared with placebo, a total of 796 women experienced a confirmed CVD event (406 in the active group and 390 in the placebo group). According to these results, patients receiving the active vitamin treatment experienced similar risk for CVD, as well as for myocardial infarction, stroke and CVD mortality. In a blood sub-study, however, plasma homocysteine level decreased by almost 19% over that observed in the placebo group. Researchers concluded that after more than 7 years of treatment and follow-up, a combination pill of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events among high-risk women, despite significant homocysteine lowering.