Association between B vitamin intake and plasma homocysteine concentrationin the general Dutch population aged 20-65 y

Background: An elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is a ssociated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Folate, ribofl avin, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 are essential in homocysteine metabolis m Objective: The objective was to describe the association between dietary in takes of folate, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 and the nonfasti ng plasma tHcy concentration. Design: A random sample of 2435 men and women aged 20-65 y from a populatio n-based Dutch cohort examined in 1993-1996 was analyzed cross-sectionally. Results: Univariately, intakes of all B vitamins were inversely related to the plasma tHcy concentration. In multivariate models, only folate intake r emained inversely associated with the plasma tHcy concentration. Mean plasm a tHcy concentrations (adjusted for intakes of riboflavin, vitamin B-6, vit amin B-12, and methionine and for age, smoking, and alcohol consumption) in men with low (first quintile: 161 mug/d) and high (fifth quintile: 254 mug /d) folate intakes were 15.4 and 13.2 mu mol/L, respectively; in women, pla sma tHcy concentrations were 13.7 and 12.4 mu mol/L at folate intakes of 16 0 and 262 mug/d, respectively. In men, the difference in the mean plasma tH cy concentration between men with low and high folate intakes was greater i n smokers than in nonsmokers (2.8 compared with 1.6 mu mol/L) and greater i n nondrinkers than in drinkers of >2 alcoholic drinks/d (3.5 compared with 1.4 mu mol/L). In women, the association between folate intake and plasma t Hcy was not modified by smoking or alcohol consumption. Conclusions: In this Dutch population, folate was the only B vitamin indepe ndently inversely associated with the plasma tHcy concentration. Changing d ietary habits may substantially influence the plasma tHcy concentration in the general population.