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Vitamin B12 deficiency as heart risk

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07.06.2005

Robertson and colleagues state that folic acid fortification has not yet had the expected effect of reducing homocysteine levels, which are associated with carotid plaque area, a strong predictor of cardiovascular events.

The authors measured levels of serum vitamin B12, homocysteine and carotid plaque in 421 patients referred to vascular disease prevention clinics and found that vitamin B12 deficiency was surprisingly common. They found that, in a subset of 224 patients whose creatinine levels were measured, creatinine levels appeared to be as strong a predictor of homocysteine levels as were vitamin B12 levels.

Dr. David Spence | Source: EurekAlert!
Further information: www.cmaj.ca/misc/press/pg1569.pdf.

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