Letter: No one mentions lack of folic acid

[Guest guest]

[this was interesting, I haven't heard of it before]

 

Dec. 27, 2004. 01:00 AM

Toronto Star

Letter to the Editor: No one mentions lack of folic acid

 

Canada ponders pain reliever warning

 

With all the negative news concerning non-steroidal anti-inflammatory

drugs and the Cox 2 inhibitors Vioxx, Celebrex and naproxin, it is notable

that all the experts have failed to mention one salient fact. All of these

drugs, including the oldest painkiller Aspirin, deplete the body of the B

vitamin folic acid.

 

Folic acid is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies and it is vital

in metabolizing homocysteine, a toxic amino acid that is recognized as one

of the most critical independent risk factors to cardiovascular disease.

Homocysteine directly damages the vascular system thereby starting a

disease process that leads to atherosclerosis and increases the risk of

heart attack and stroke. Why doctors and pharmacists fail to mention this

fact to patients is a sad commentary on the state of nutritional education

in the medical and pharmacy faculties of our universities.

 

It is a negligent failure on the part of regulatory authorities who

approved the painkillers in the first place.