B Vitamins for Heart Health

Homocysteine is a chemical that forms in the body during the breakdown of methionine, an essential amino acid that builds proteins.

One of the jobs of the B vitamins folate, B6, and B12 is to remove homocysteine from the blood. If the B vitamins are not present, homocysteine accumulates. An impressive array of evidence suggests that too much homocysteine can damage your arteries and lead to heart attack and stroke.

Folic acid (folate) is one of the B-complex vitamins. Also known as vitamin B-9, folate, folacin, and pteroryglutamic acid, folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that must be obtained through your diet.

Canadian researchers reported that men and women with low blood (serum) levels of folate have a 69 percent increase in risk of fatal coronary heart disease (relative risk=1.69, 95 percent confidence interval 1.10-2.61).

Dr. Paul Hopkins, associate professor of internal medicine at the Salt Lake City university, said "people with high levels of homocysteine can reduce their risk of heart disease through dietary changes."
These people should eat foods rich in folic acid. These foods include, spinach, asparagus, beans and peas as well as fresh orange juice.
Hopkins said. Supplements of folic acid that would affect levels of homocysteine, cost just a few cents a day."

Vitamin B-6 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps the body make proteins, which are then used to make body cells. It also helps convert tryptophan (an amino acid) into niacin and serotonin (a brain chemical). Vitamin B-6 also helps produce other body chemicals such as insulin, hemoglobin and antibodies to fight infection.

Studies have shown a correlation between heart disease and the antioxidant vitamin B-6. Researchers writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association found women with high intakes of vitamin B-6 and folic acid had a 45 percent lower risk of developing heart disease.