B-vitamins keep arteries open. (Quick Studies).High doses of three B-vitamins can increase the chances that arteries will stay open after angioplasty, a popular alternative to coronary bypass surgery Coronary bypass surgery A surgical procedure which places a shunt to allow blood to travel from the aorta to a branch of the coronary artery at a point past an obstruction. Mentioned in: Cardiac Catheterization, Thallium Heart Scan . In the procedure, doctors insert a balloon into clogged arteries and inflate it to increase blood flow. But restenosis often occurs--that is, the arteries close up again. Of the 205 patients in the latest study, restenosis occurred within six months in 38 percent of those who got a placebo, but in only 20 percent of those taking folic acid folic acid: see coenzyme; vitamin. folic acid or folate Organic compound essential to animal growth and health and needed by bacteria as a growth factor. (1,000 micrograms), vitamin B-12 (400 micrograms), and vitamin B-6 (10 milligrams) every day. "This inexpensive treatment, which has minimal side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. , should be considered as adjunctive therapy adjunctive therapy Medtalk A therapeutic maneuver(s) with an ancillary role in treating a disease by ↓ M&M, but not part of the immediate therapy required to stabilize the Pt. Cf Adjuvant therapy. for patients undergoing coronary angioplasty," say Guido Schnyder and colleagues at the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). at San Diego Medical Center and elsewhere. What to do: If you're an angioplasty patient, talk to your doctor about taking the B-vitamins used in this study. New Eng. J. Med. 345:1593, 2001. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion