Folate May Cut Stroke Risk in Women

UMEA, Sweden--Higher plasma levels of folate appears to reduce the risk of hemorrhagic stroke independent of their impact on homocysteine status, according to a case-referent study coordinated by researchers at Umea University Hospital. Researchers examined plasma and dietary intake levels of folate and vitamin B12 in 334 ischemic and 62 hemorrhagic stroke cases and compared them to matched controls from the Northern Sweden Health and Disease cohort. Plasma folate was statistically significantly associated with a reduced risk of hemorrhagic, but not ischemic, stroke. There was no link between plasma nor dietary vitamin B12 and stroke risk. The study was published in Stroke (36:1426, 2005).