| News - Hypertension Week of Sept 28, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 39 |
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Study: Dietary Changes May Help African-American Women With High Blood Pressure |
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People with a high homocysteine levels have more risk of developing atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Previous studies have linked elevated homocysteine to a lack of folic acid, vitamin B-6 or vitamin B-12 in the diet. The study involved 119 premenopausal African-American women and 56 African-American men between the ages of 30 to 40 years. Of the 175 people in the study, 31 women and 19 men had high blood pressure. Although average homocysteine levels were higher in both male and female study participants with high blood pressure, the difference was only statistically significant in women. Dietary information on the participants indicated that women with high blood pressure had a lower intake of folic acid. The researchers found no significant difference in average homocysteine levels between male smokers and male nonsmokers. However, they found average homocysteine levels to be significantly higher in female smokers than nonsmokers. The
researchers said their study supports the benefits of improving "dietary
intake of multiple nutrients along with smoking cessation as preventive measures
in this high-risk population." "It is important for physicians to be alert to the dietary and smoking habits of their African-American female patients who could be vulnerable to the deadly cascade of cardiovascular disease," added Dr. Michael Weber, an editor of the American Journal of Hypertension. Other sources: American Journal of Hypertension: September 2003; 16:767-770 |
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