October 13, 2004 The researchers used data from more than 95,000 women collected during the Nurses Health Study to compare quintiles of folate intake with blood pressure in two age groups -- women from 26-46 years old, and 43-70 years old. None of the women had a history of high blood pressure when the study started.
The most dramatic effects were seen among the younger group, where those with the highest intake of folate, (more than 800 ug/day, including that from supplements), showed a 29 per cent lower risk for high blood pressure than those in the lowest quintile (consuming less than 200 ug/day of folate).
Older women who had total folate intake of 800 ug/day had a 13 per cent lower risk.
Folate, the B vitamin required by women to prevent birth defects in their babies, also appears to reduce the risk of them developing high blood pressure, shows new research. Young women who consumed more than 800 micrograms of folate per day reduced their risk of developing high blood pressure by almost a third compared to those who consumed less than 200 ug/day, said researchers at a special conference on high blood pressure in the US.
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