FOLIC-ACID AND VITAMIN-B-6 SUPPLEMENTATION AND PLASMA HOMOCYSTEINE CONCENTRATIONS IN HEALTHY-YOUNG WOMEN

Elevated plasma homocysteine levels are a risk factor for atherosclero tic disease. Elevated fasting plasma homocysteine concentrations can b e reduced by vitamin supplementation with folic acid, vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12, but the effect of nutritive amounts of single vitamins o n homocysteine plasma levels within the normal range is not known. Thi s study was performed to investigate the effect of folic acid suppleme ntation (400 mu g/d) an fasting plasma homocysteine levels in healthy young women, in comparison to vitamin B-6 (2 mg/d) or a combination of both vitamins. Healthy voltage women with normal homocysteine levels were supplemented for four weeks either with folic acid, vitamin B-6, or the combination. The combination of folic acid and vitamin B-6 redu ced plasma homocysteine by 17%. Supplementation with folic acid reduce d plasma homocysteine levels by 11.5%. The effect of folic acid and vi tamin B-6 was not significantly different from the effect of folic aci d alone. Vitamin B-6 had no effect on plasma hamocysteine concentratio ns. Results show that homocysteine levels within the normal range are lowered by low-dose vitamin supplementation including folic acid.