Vitamin B Supplements May Reduce Stroke Risk

Research suggests that taking vitamin B supplements may help reduce the risk of stroke. Xu Yuming, of Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China and colleagues analyzed 14 randomized clinical trials with a total of 54,913 participants. All of the studies compared B vitamin use with a placebo or a very low-dose B vitamin for a minimum of 6-months. Results showed that taking supplementary vitamin B lowered the overall risk of stroke by 7%. However, taking supplementary vitamin B did not appear to affect the severity of strokes or the risk of death from stroke. The authors concluded that vitamin B supplementation significantly reduces stroke risk by lowering levels of the harmful amino acid homocysteine.