Mr. Zhou, 49 years old this year, was found to have high blood pressure during a physical examination organized by the unit this year, and further examination found that his homocysteine content was also very high, so the doctor prescribed him antihypertensive drugs and folic acid at the same time, and told him to take it at home.
Seeing that there was folic acid in the prescribed medicine, Mr. Zhou was stunned for a moment, and asked puzzledly: "Doctor, isn't this folic acid eaten by pregnant women, why do I have to eat this thing?"
The doctor was not surprised to hear Mr. Zhou's question, but patiently explained to him that this folic acid is mainly to reduce the level of homocysteine in the blood.
After learning about the situation, Mr. Zhou took antihypertensive drugs and folic acid on time every day after returning home, and went for a follow-up examination after half a year, and his blood pressure was stabilized, and the homocysteine level in his body also returned to normal.
In fact, there are many people who face the same difficulties as Mr. Zhou, why do some patients with high blood pressure still need to supplement folic acid?
1. Why do some patients with high blood pressure need to supplement folic acid?
Many people have no doubt that high blood pressure needs to take antihypertensive drugs, but many people are puzzled by the use of folic acid in patients with high blood pressure.
In fact, there is a special type of hypertension called H-type hypertension, which is accompanied by an increase in homocysteine in the blood.
Studies have found that every 5umol/L increase in homocysteine increases the risk of heart disease, coronary events, stroke, diabetes and other diseases, and the substance is a separate risk factor for stroke.
Homocysteine is an intermediate product produced by metabolism after ingestion of methionine-containing foods, which is generally removed by the metabolism of folic acid and other B vitamins, but if the body does not have enough folic acid, it can lead to an increase in homocysteine levels.
The high incidence of H-type hypertension in mainland China is mainly related to the lack of folic acid in the Chinese people, which is mainly due to the fact that the Chinese people like to fry, stir-fry, steam, and fry the cooking methods, and these cooking methods will accelerate the loss of folic acid in food.
For patients with H-type hypertension, treatment should not only lower blood pressure, but also reduce homocysteine levels, so it is necessary to pay attention to folic acid supplementation in the diet.
However, not all hypertensive patients need to supplement folic acid, generally if they are hypertensive patients with elevated homocysteine levels and high-risk cardiovascular patients, folic acid supplementation is required, and homocysteine levels are not suitable for blind supplementation of folic acid, otherwise it may lead to reduced immunity.
2. Blindly supplementing folic acid may face three major consequences
Folic acid, in fact, is vitamin B9, is a water-soluble vitamin, is an essential factor for the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins, it plays a very important role in amino acid metabolism and hemoglobin, white blood cells, red blood cell rapid proliferation and other processes.
Proper supplementation of folic acid for middle-aged and elderly people can reduce the risk of stroke, improve immunity, prevent hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, arteriosclerosis, cancer, prolong life, and adjuvant the treatment of anemia, which can be said to have many benefits.
However, although folic acid is good, don't be greedy, as excessive folic acid supplementation may bring three dangerous consequences.
1. Affect zinc absorption
Excessive supplementation of folic acid can lead to a deficiency of zinc in the body, which can lead to growth retardation, decreased immunity, delayed development, and will also affect bone development, leading to a decrease in IQ.
2. Digestive tract reactions
Excessive folic acid supplementation may also cause gastrointestinal reactions such as abdominal pain, bloating, decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting.
3. Mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency
Excessive folic acid supplementation may mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, such as emotional disorders such as agitation, depression, and apathy, limb weakness, mobility difficulties, ataxia and other movement disorders, and megaloblastic anemia, and also exacerbate the neurological damage caused by vitamin B12 deficiency.
3. Supplement folic acid scientifically, remember these 3 details
Folic acid supplementation must be scientific, and you must remember these details of folic acid supplementation!
1. The amount of different groups of people should be replenished
The 2023 edition of the Dietary Nutrient Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents points out that it is recommended to supplement 400 μg of folic acid per day for ordinary adults, 600 μg of folic acid per day for pregnant women, and 550 μg of folic acid per day for lactating women.
2. Eat more 4 kinds of foods high in folic acid
Usually eat more foods high in folic acid, such as strawberries, bananas, apples and other fruits, tomatoes, pumpkin, bok choy, spinach, carrots and other vegetables, soy products, almonds, walnuts, soybeans and other legumes, and kidneys, beef, chicken, animal liver and other foods.
When cooking vegetables, it is best not to stir-fry or cook them for too long, which can easily lead to the loss of folic acid.
3. Do not take the following drugs together
Taking folic acid and vitamin C together will affect absorption, and vitamin C will also accelerate the loss of folic acid;
A large amount of folic acid taken with primidone, phenobarbital, phenytoin and other drugs will reduce the width of seizures and increase the number of seizures;
Taking folic acid and theophylline drugs together will reduce drug absorption and affect the efficacy;
Folic acid and fluorouracil can increase the toxicity of the drug.
Some patients with high blood pressure also need to take folic acid, such as those with high blood pressure and elevated homocysteine levels, so they need to supplement folic acid at the same time as lowering blood pressure. However, folic acid supplementation should be done according to the doctor's instructions, and excessive folic acid supplementation will also bring some side effects.
Resources:
[1] "Popular Science | Why take folic acid for this high blood pressure? 》. Jiaozuo Second People's Hospital, November 29, 2023
[2] "Why did the cardiologist ask me to use folic acid? | Brother Jian Says Heart". Healthy Cardiovascular.2022-06-20
[3] "Which patients with high blood pressure need to take folic acid? 》. Department of Neurology, Longkou People's Hospital, October 11, 2022
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