On Mon, 31 Aug 1998, Giles wrote:

> Here's another recent piece of evidence that cholesterol is not the most
> important factor in heart attacks from coronary heart disease:
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Folate deficiency tied to heart risk
>
> VIENNA, Aug 27 (Reuters) -- An apple a day may keep the cardiologist
> away, according to a Greek physician. A study has found that
> heart disease patients who have folate deficiency are more likely to
> have a heart attack than those with adequate intake of the nutrient,
> reported Dr. Lampros Michalis at the 20th Congress of the European
> Society of Cardiology in Vienna.
>
> Folate, a B vitamin, is found in fruit and green leafy vegetables.

For much more information on this, read _The Homocysteine
Revolution_, by Kilmer McCully.  Dr. McCully is the person who
pioneered research into the link between homocysteine and heart
disease.  Homocysteine is a metabolite of the amino acid
methionine, which is abundant in red meats.  It appears to cause
arterial damage, resulting in the formation of atherosclerotic
plaques.  Levels of homocysteine are reduced by folate and some
of the other B vitamins (B-12 and B-6).

McCully was fired from Harvard for his research, but elevated
homocysteine is now recognized as a signficant independent risk
factor for CHD.  And elevated homocysteine is a result of
insufficient folate.

Todd Moody
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