Researchers Clarify Role Of Vitamin B Therapy In Reducing Cardiovascular Risk

Researchers from Canada and the U.S. argue in a recent medical journal editorial that a couple of key issues have been overlooked in the interpretation of clinical trials that found that vitamin B therapy did not result in any cardiovascular benefits. In fact, vitamin B12 is harmful – it actually increased the risk of heart attack and stroke – in the presence of renal (kidney) failure, but is beneficial in people with good renal function. Studies lumped the two groups together, skewing the results. In addition, the researchers argued, most of the trials did not use a high enough dose of vitamin B12. The conclusion? Vitamin B therapy still has a role in reducing the risk of stroke.