Wednesday July 11 2:09 PM ET
Folate in Beer May Protect Against Heart Disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New study findings suggest that beer may provide enough folate--a B vitamin more commonly associated with fortified grains and green leafy vegetables--to lower the risk of heart disease.
``Folate from beer may...contribute to the protective effect of alcohol consumption on cardiovascular disease in population(s) with generally low folate intake from other nutrients,'' according to Dr. O. Mayer Jr. and colleagues from Charles University in Pilsen, Czech Republic.
The researchers explain that beer is produced from barley and hops with the addition of brewing yeasts, which contain B vitamins.
Mayer and colleagues measured blood levels of folate, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B12 in 543 residents of Pilsen, an area with one of the highest rates of beer consumption in the world, the authors point out. The B vitamins they measured are linked to lower levels of homocysteine, a compound in the blood associated with increased heart disease risk.
According to study results published in the July issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 35- to 65-year-olds who drank more than 196 grams (g) or 6.3 ounces of pure alcohol from beer weekly had the lowest blood levels of homocysteine and the highest blood levels of folate.
``Moderate beer consumption may help to maintain the total homocysteine levels in the normal range due to high folate content,'' the report indicates.
The findings support earlier research showing that drinking beer regularly for 3 weeks led to a 30% increase in vitamin B6 levels. This vitamin is thought to help break down homocysteine. Drinking red wine or Dutch gin brought only about half that increase, research showed.
However, Mayer's team notes that their study did not assess the diets of individuals and therefore it is unclear how much of various B vitamins they consumed from other sources. Other studies have shown that residents of the Czech Republic consume few fruits and vegetables, good sources of these vitamins, compared with residents of Western countries.
In other findings, older individuals and men with an elevated body mass index tended to have higher homocysteine levels.
SOURCE: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001;55:605-609.
