BACKGROUND: The effect of folic acid on endothelial function, a prognostic factor for cardiovascular diseases, is not well established. We calculated this effect in a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in humans. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to quantify the effect of folic acid on endothelial function, as measured with the use of flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). DESIGN: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled folic acid trials evaluating endothelial function. Trials were identified through MEDLINE (1966-15 Sept 2005), by hand-searching of references, and by contact with investigators for unpublished results. Two of us (AdB and RD) independently extracted trial data. A pooled estimate was calculated by using random-effects meta-analysis. Previously defined stratified analyses were conducted to explore the influence of study characteristics. RESULTS: Of 163 identified studies, 14 met inclusion criteria and provided data on 732 persons. Evidence for publication bias was not obvious. In the overall pooled estimate, folic acid improved FMD by 1.08 (95% CI: 0.57,1.59; P = 0.0005) percentage points over placebo. Of the study characteristics, only folic acid dose significantly influenced the outcome. Post hoc analysis, which should be interpreted with caution, seemed to indicate a dose-response effect: the change in FMD was -0.07 (95% CI: -0.37, 0.22) percentage points at doses between 400 and 800 microg/d, 1.37 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.54) percentage points at doses of 5000 microg/d, and 2.04 (95% CI: 1.43, 2.65) percentage points at doses of 10,000 microg/d. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that high doses of folic acid improve endothelial function, which could potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
BACKGROUND: The effect of folic acid on endothelial function, a prognostic factor for cardiovascular diseases, is not well established. We calculated this effect in a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in humans. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to quantify the effect of folic acid on endothelial function, as measured with the use of flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). DESIGN: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled folic acid trials evaluating endothelial function. Trials were identified through MEDLINE (1966-15 Sept 2005), by hand-searching of references, and by contact with investigators for unpublished results. Two of us (AdB and RD) independently extracted trial data. A pooled estimate was calculated by using random-effects meta-analysis. Previously defined stratified analyses were conducted to explore the influence of study characteristics. RESULTS: Of 163 identified studies, 14 met inclusion criteria and provided data on 732 persons. Evidence for publication bias was not obvious. In the overall pooled estimate, folic acid improved FMD by 1.08 (95% CI: 0.57,1.59; P = 0.0005) percentage points over placebo. Of the study characteristics, only folic acid dose significantly influenced the outcome. Post hoc analysis, which should be interpreted with caution, seemed to indicate a dose-response effect: the change in FMD was -0.07 (95% CI: -0.37, 0.22) percentage points at doses between 400 and 800 microg/d, 1.37 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.54) percentage points at doses of 5000 microg/d, and 2.04 (95% CI: 1.43, 2.65) percentage points at doses of 10,000 microg/d. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that high doses of folic acid improve endothelial function, which could potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Authors: Eva-Maria Navarrete-Muñoz; Jesus Vioque; Estefanía Toledo; Alejando Oncina-Canovas; Miguel Ángel Martínez-González; Jordi Salas-Salvadó; Dolores Corella; Montserrat Fitó; Dora Romaguera; Ángel M Alonso-Gómez; Julia Wärnberg; J Alfredo Martínez; Luís Serra-Majem; Ramon Estruch; Francisco J Tinahones; José Lapetra; Xavier Pintó; Josep A Tur; José López-Miranda; Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas; Pilar Matía-Martín; Lidia Daimiel; Vicente Martín Sánchez; Josep Vidal; Ana Isabel de Cos Blanco; Emili Ros; Javier Diez-Espino; Nancy Babio; Rebeca Fernandez-Carrion; Olga Castañer; Antoni Colom; Laura Compañ-Gabucio; Itziar Salaverria Lete; Edelys Crespo-Oliva; Itziar Abete; Laura Tomaino; Rosa Casas; José Carlos Fernandez-Garcia; José Manuel Santos-Lozano; Iziar Sarasa; José M Gámez; José M Antonio Garcia-Rios; Sandra Martín-Pelaez; Miguel Ruiz-Canela; Andrés Díaz-López; Raul Martinez-Lacruz; Maria Dolors Zomeño; Elena Rayó; Cristina Gisbert Sellés; Silvia Canudas; Albert Goday; Manoli García-de-la-Hera Journal: Eur J Nutr Date: 2020-08-24 Impact factor: 5.614
Authors: Kathleen Potter; Graeme J Hankey; Daniel J Green; John Eikelboom; Konrad Jamrozik; Leonard F Arnolda Journal: BMC Cardiovasc Disord Date: 2008-09-20 Impact factor: 2.298
Authors: Mohamed Haloul; Smita Jagdish Vinjamuri; Dina Naquiallah; Mohammed Imaduddin Mirza; Maryam Qureshi; Chandra Hassan; Mario Masrur; Francesco M Bianco; Patrice Frederick; Giulianotti P Cristoforo; Antonio Gangemi; Mohamed M Ali; Shane A Phillips; Abeer M Mahmoud Journal: Nutrients Date: 2020-07-07 Impact factor: 5.717