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Foliumzuur voor lage bloeddruk*
Uit
een grootschalige studie onder wel 150.000 vrouwen van 26 tot 70 jaar blijkt dat
hoge inname van foliumzuur de kans op hoge bloeddruk flink kan verlagen. Hoge
inname betekent 800 mcg per dag. Uit alleen voeding is dat bijna niet te halen.
Alle vrouwen die 800 mcg per dag innamen deden dat door aan te vullen met
supplementen.
Upping
the daily intake of folate has been widely promoted in recent years to reduce
women's risk of having a baby with spina bifida, but it also seems to have
another benefit.
Women
consuming 800 micrograms per day or more of folate are significantly less likely
to develop high blood pressure than women consuming lesser amounts, according to
a report presented Monday at the American Heart Association's annual conference
on high blood pressure research in Chicago.
Dr.
John P. Forman of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital reported the data from
the Nurses' Health Study I, which included 62,260 women between 43 and 70 years
old, and the Nurses' Health Study II, comprising 93,043 women between 26 and 46.
None
of the women had high blood pressure when they were enrolled. They completed
detailed questionnaires about their diet, food preparation and health habits,
including folate intake, every 2 years for an average of 8 years. The women also
self-reported their blood pressures.
"These
were pretty detailed questionnaires," Forman told. "We calculated how
much folate the women got from their diet and supplements. Our calculations were
pretty accurate."
The
investigators divided the women into five categories according to folate intake,
the average being approximately 250 micrograms daily.
Younger
women -- those in the Nurses' Health Study II -- who consumed 800 micrograms or
more per day had a 29 percent lower risk of high blood pressure than those who
consumed less than 200 micrograms daily. Older women in the highest category had
a 13 percent lower risk of high blood pressure than those in the lowest
category.
"It is very hard to get (800 micrograms folate daily) from diet alone," Forman noted. "Essentially all the women in the highest category took supplements." (okt. 2004)