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 [log in to unmask]