NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In addition to its effects on homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease, folate may protect against a certain type of stroke. Specifically, investigators found that folate, a B vitamin found in green leafy vegetables, fruits and dried beans, appears to lower the risk of hemorrhagic strokes, strokes caused by bleeding in the brain."Folate metabolism has been implicated in stroke,” Dr. Bethany Van Guelpen, of Umea University, Sweden, and colleague write in the medical journal Stroke. “However, the possibility of a role for folate and vitamin B12, independent of their effect on homocysteine status, remains to be explored.”
