Guest guest Posted August 10, 2004 Report Share Posted August 10, 2004 > " HSI - Jenny Thompson " > <HSIResearch > Laughing Matter > Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:26:05 -0400 > > Laughing Matter > > Health Sciences Institute e-Alert > > August 9, 2004 > > ************************************************************** > Dear Reader, > > Mother Theresa, Regis Philbin and David Bowie. When > you see > those three names in the same sentence, you might > wonder if it's a > set up for a joke – they walk into a bar, or they're > stuck on a life > raft – something like that. > > But these three diverse personalities all have > something in > common, and it's no joke: they've all undergone > surgery to have > stents implanted to clear narrowed arteries. > > One of the risk factors for artery blockage is an > elevated level of > the amino acid homocysteine. In recent years, some > key studies > have shown that folate therapy (a combination of > folic acid and > vitamins B6 and B12) has been useful in lowering > homocysteine > levels in patients who have undergone angioplasty > and stent > implantation. But a new study indicates that folate > therapy may > actually promote blockage of the arteries. > > If you're thinking that this doesn't make any sense > – that vitamins > might actually CAUSE blockage? – then you're > thinking what I'm > thinking. And, I might add, I'm not buying a word of > it. > > ---- > > Reality check > ---- > > It's headline time again. Here's one of the > outrageous headlines > that covered this study: " Vitamin B May Block, Not > Clear, > Arteries. " And the lead paragraph of that article > (found on > NutraIngredients.com) was even more negative, > stating that > vitamin B supplements, " previously thought to help > keep arteries > clear after a coronary stent was inserted, actually > do the opposite. " > > Actually... no they don't. > > A team of German and Dutch researchers recruited > more than 600 > subjects who had all undergone angioplasty, followed > by the > insertion of a stent in an artery. Subjects were > divided into two > groups. One group received placebo " supplements " for > six months, > while the rest received one intravenous dose of > folic acid (the > synthetic form of folate), and vitamins B6 and B12, > followed by a > daily regimen of oral supplements: 1.2 mg of folic > acid, 48 mg of > B6, and 60 IU of B12. At the beginning and the end > of the six > month trial period, all the subjects were evaluated > with an x-ray > examination of the treated arteries. > > Researchers looked for a condition known as > angiographic > restenosis, which is the narrowing or closing of an > artery that has > undergone angioplasty. Nearly 35 percent of the > subjects who > received folate therapy showed a significant > renarrowing of the > arteries. That would seem to be fairly convincing > evidence that > folate therapy is actually a dangerous choice for > patients who have > had stents inserted. > > The key phrase here is " would seem to be. " > > --- > The hazardous placebo > --- > > One of the primary causes of angiographic restenosis > is the > inflammation or scarring that is often caused by – > ready for this? – > the insertion of a stent. So you have to imagine > that many of those > who received folate treatment would have had artery > renarrowing > even if they'd been assigned to the placebo group. > In fact, the > American College of Cardiology estimates that > renarrowing may > occur in as much as 30 percent or more of the > patients who receive > a stent! > > Meanwhile, nearly 27 percent of the placebo group > experienced > angiographic restenosis. So either a huge percentage > of this group > had a NEGATIVE placebo effect (extremely unlikely), > or the > damage done to the arteries was caused by stent > insertion. That > being the case, it's a ridiculous jump to the > conclusion that > vitamins did the damage to the folate group. It > simply defies logic. > > And here's the clincher: In three subgroups of the > folate group > (women, diabetics, and those with high homocysteine > levels) there > was no angiographic restenosis experienced at all. > None. > > So while the study DOES confirm that the procedure > itself presents > a danger of complicating the very condition it's > meant to solve, it > also confirms that folate therapy may in fact help > protect certain > patients from angiographic restenosis. > > --- > Begging to differ > --- > > This study was reported in the New England Journal > of Medicine – > a source that offers enough prestige to inspire a > headline writer for > NutraIngredients.com to declare that B vitamins may > clog arteries. > Too bad he wasn't familiar with several previous > studies that > showed folate therapy to be effective in preventing > angiographic > restenosis. > > I told you about one of those studies in the e-Alert > " B & E My > Valentine " (9/3/02). As reported in the Journal of > the American > Medical Association, 533 patients who had undergone > coronary > angioplasty were divided into two groups. Half > received a > supplement of folic acid, vitamin B6 and B12, while > the other half > received a placebo. Six months later, the > researchers found that > folate treatment not only slowed the development of > plaque build > up in the arteries, but in some cases also prevented > it from > occurring. > > In tomorrow's e-Alert I'll tell you about another > recent study that > reveals just how significant folate can be in > support of a healthy > heart. > > ************************************************************** > ...and another thing > > There was a time when eating fish could be > considered healthy. > Unfortunately, that time has passed, thanks (or > rather, NO thanks) > to mercury contamination. > > In recent e-Alerts I've told you about studies that > showed how fish > consumption may help prevent ischemic stroke and > some types of > cancer. But if you want to increase your fish > intake, which fish > should you choose? > > In the e-Alert " Let the Sun Shine " (7/8/04) I told > you about fish > that are considered low in mercury content. But an > HSI member > named Jam wondered if I was on the wrong track. Jam > writes: > > " You said that 'farm-raised catfish and trout, > haddock, salmon, and > flounder' are the best for low-mercury fish; I > thought deep-ocean > fish was the lowest in mercury. Are you sure you > wrote that right? " > > Jam has his info switched around a bit. The fish > listed above tend > to have the lowest mercury content. In general, the > deep-ocean fish > are the ones to avoid. > > Mercury gets into water primarily through > solid-waste incinerators, > mines and power plants. Algae absorbs the mercury, > tiny > zooplankton animals eat the algae, small fish eat > the zooplankton, > and from there the mercury works up through the > aquatic food > chain, with the large, deep-ocean fish at the top of > the chain > carrying the highest mercury concentration. > > Here's a list, compiled by the Environmental Working > Group > (EWG), of high-mercury fish: > * swordfish > * tuna > * king mackerel > * halibut > * sea bass > * tilefish > * pike > * walleye > * largemouth bass > * white croaker > * marlin > * shark > * Gulf coast oysters > > Mercury contamination varies from one place to > another, so there > are waterways far from any ocean (such as the > Elkhorn River in > Nebraska) that are known to have > mercury-contaminated fish. > > If you live in the U.S., you can go to the EWG web > site to find > information about what fish are best to avoid in > your area. You can > access the " Fish advisories of mercury by state " at > this address: > ewg.org/reports/BrainFood/advisory/. > > To Your Good Health, > > Jenny Thompson > Health Sciences Institute > > ************************************************************** > Sources: > " Folate Therapy and In-Stent Restenosis after > Coronary Stenting " > Vol. 350, No. 26, 6/24/04, content.nejm.org > " Vitamin B May Block, Not Clear, Arteries " > NutraIngredients.com, 6/24/04, nutraingredients.com > " ACC/AHA Guidelines for Percutaneous Coronary > Intervention " > Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol. > 37, No. 8, > June 2001, acc.org > " Effect of Homocysteine-Lowering Therapy With Folic > Acid, > Vitamin B12, and Vitamin B6 on Clinical Outcome > After > Percutaneous Coronary Intervention " Journal of the > American > Medical Association, Vol. 288, No. 8, 8/28/02, > jama.ama-assn.org > > Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, > L.L.C. 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