| Foods high in folic
acid include green, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and tomatoes.
Since 1998, wheat flour has been fortified with folic acid
to add an estimated 100 micrograms per day to the average
diet. Folic acid supplements should be used to lower homocysteine
levels when the diet doesn't provide enough.
Recent findings suggest that laboratory testing for plasma
homocysteine levels can improve the assessment of risk. It
may be particularly useful in patients with a personal or
family history of cardiovascular disease, but in whom the
well-established risk factors (smoking, high blood cholesterol,
high blood pressure) do not exist. Folic acid and B-vitamin
supplementation can reduce the need to test homocysteine levels.
Vegetarians and vegans are at increased risk for elevated
levels of homocysteine, since it's virtually impossible to
have enough B12 in your diet without consuming an omnivorous
diet. |