Folic Acid and Betaine Supplementation and Vascular Function
Author Information
Author(s): Margreet R. Olthof, Michiel L. Bots, Martijn B. Katan, Petra Verhoef
Primary Institution: Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
Hypothesis
Does lowering fasting homocysteine concentrations with folic acid or betaine supplementation affect vascular function in healthy volunteers?
Conclusion
Folic acid and betaine supplementation did not improve vascular function in healthy volunteers, despite lowering homocysteine levels.
Supporting Evidence
- Folic acid supplementation lowered fasting homocysteine by 20%.
- Betaine supplementation lowered fasting plasma homocysteine by 12%.
- Neither folic acid nor betaine supplementation affected flow-mediated dilation relative to placebo.
Takeaway
The study tested if taking folic acid or betaine could help blood vessels work better by lowering a substance called homocysteine, but it didn't help at all.
Methodology
This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study where participants received folic acid, betaine, and placebo in different sequences over 6-week periods.
Limitations
The study's outcomes are surrogates for cardiovascular disease risk, measured over short time periods, and no clinical outcomes were examined.
Participant Demographics
Participants were 39 healthy men and women aged 50–70 years.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI: −2.3; −1.6 for folic acid; −1.6; −0.8 for betaine.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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